


Black Legacy: Ascension

by AtticusMaximus



Series: Black Legacy Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Sex, Antares Black, Black Family, Black Family (Harry Potter), Eventual Smut, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Galleons, Goblins, Heir to House Black, House Black, Lemon, Love, Magic, Marauders, Marriage, Marriage Contracts, Mild Smut, Multi, Oral Sex, Politics, Pureblood Customs, Pureblood Politics, Pureblood Society, Romance, Rough Sex, Sex, Slytherin House, Smut, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Underage Sex, Vaginal Sex, Vampires, Young Severus Snape, first wizarding war, gringotts, marauder era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-08 18:45:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6869044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtticusMaximus/pseuds/AtticusMaximus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antares Black is the eldest son of Orion and Walburga Black, elder brother to Sirius and Regulus. Follow him as he has to deal with the rising of a new Dark Lord, and the pressure that is being the heir to the Black family. Pureblood Politics. Marauder Era. OC/OC. Marriage Contracts. First Wizarding War.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Antares is born on the 6th of October, 1958.

Sirius is born in Autumn, 1959

Regulus is Born in 1961

Chapter 1

Orion Black slowly climbed the stairs of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, each step more reluctant than the last. He had recently finished a lengthy conversation with Jasper Greengrass, and it was now time to inform his eldest son of the outcome. As his feet carried him ever closer to his son's room, he became increasingly nervous. A feat that didn't occur very often.

He wasn't nervous about what his son would do per se, knowing full well that he had every right to organize the future of his heir, but he did worry about whether or not his son's opinion of him would diminish or not. He and Walburga had taught their son's everything it meant to be a pureblood of their status, so his news wouldn't be totally unexpected.

The summer was almost over, and soon his sons would leave the manor and return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, once again leaving the halls of his father's silence once more. Without the sound of his sons or the many friends they bought a home, life would once again be bleak and boring, leaving him with only his wife in the hallowed halls of Grimmauld Place.

His palms sheened with sweat as he finally reached the top floor, his mind going over how and what he was going to say to his eldest son. His son would no doubt try and hide his feelings, as he had been taught to do so by his various relatives, but Orion knew that feelings such as anger or rage would only hurt their relationship in the long run.

Schooling his own expression into a mask of indifference, he took a step forward and knocked l on the wooden door that played host to a sign reading A.O.B.

"Enter" came the muffled reply.

Turning the doorknob Orion opened the door and took a step forward, his grey eyes scanning the meticulously clean room before landing on that of his son, who happened to be lying on his bed, ankles crossed over one another as his eyes skimmed the pages of a thick dusty tome.

Seeing as his son was immersed in his book, Orion's eyes wandered around the room, noting how very different it was to that of his other two sons. Unlike Sirius's, and to a lesser degree Regulus', whose rooms were untidy at the best of times, his eldest son's was neat and spotless. The room was one of the bigger ones; was furnished with a large king-sized bed (which was covered by a green and black duvet), a wooden desk with various scrolls of parchment, various wooden wardrobes (filled with the finest robes money could buy), posters of scantily clad witches (which he shot a glare at when it winked provocatively at him) and a large overstuffed bookshelf that covered the entire left side of the room.

Hearing the clearing of a throat, Orion turned his attention from the lurid pictures to that of the questioning gaze of his eldest son, who had put down his book and was now sitting on the edge of his bed. Turning his attention to his son, he couldn't help but let a small grin grace his features as he thought about how lucky both he and his wife were to have such handsome sons.

His eldest son was well built, stood at around 5 ft. 9 and had the natural good looks of a member of the Black family. He had an aristocratic face (high cheekbones and a strong jawline), slightly curly sleek black hair that fell to his shoulders, with a straight nose and piercing gray eyes. In other words, he was nearly an exact duplicate of himself. Mentally shaking his head, he turned his attention back towards his son, who by now was quiet, curious of his father's sudden appearance in his bedroom.

"There are some matters that I must discuss with you Antares" said Orion, his voice lacking its usual severity.

"Is something wrong, Father?" asked Antares, his eyes taking on a concerned look.

Knowing that the best way to tell his son the news was to just get to the point and to not beat around the bush and so Orion did just that.

"You're Mother and I have just concluded negotiations with Lord Greengrass. You are to marry his eldest daughter Helena before your 20th birthday."

If Antares was expecting something, this definitely wasn't it. His expression quickly lost its concerned expression, instead his features morphed into a mask of indifference, but Orion knew his son better than perhaps anyone else, and he knew that underneath that handsome face that was so similar to his own, dark and angry thoughts were brewing.

Antares turned away from his father, and walked towards his desk, his mask slipping from his face as he did so. It was best not to show his father the hurt and anger that was etched upon his features, such weakness wasn't tolerated in the House of Black.

Antares knew that a marriage contract was very common among pureblood families such as his, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he himself was entered into one, yet he would have at least thought that his parents would consult him on the matter first. Apparently he had been mistaken.

He knew that as the Heir to his family, it was his duty to do as his father commanded and continue on the family name, but knowing that he would never be able to be with the person he wanted, made him resent half-bloods and muggle-borns alike, for at least they were able to choose who they were to marry.

It didn't matter to his father or to anyone else that he had feelings for a certain someone back at Hogwarts, even if he knew that their relationship was as unlikely as Snape failing at potions. He himself questioned his own feelings for her at times, wondering where his feelings had come from given his upbringing. At least his new fiancée was positively gorgeous, merlin forbid he be contracted to marry a Parkinson, or worse a Bulstrode. Antares shuddered at the thought.

Knowing there was no use in voicing his displeasure, his father wouldn't hold for such nonsense anyway, he buried his feelings deep within his memory, using Occlumency to put them out of his mind until he could deal with them when he didn't have company.

"The Terms?" asked Antares after several minutes, his back still facing his father.

Orion sighed in relief. His son it seemed, had chosen to act in a manner befitting the Scion of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, a good thing considering an angry Antares was something he didn't want to cross. His son was scary powerful at the best of times.

"As I said previously, you are to marry your betrothed before your 20th Birthday. You are to provide her with at least one son before your 35th birthday. You are to share nobodies bed but hers, the same applies to her, and finally to be divorced from one another is to forfeit your magic, and by extension your life." answered Orion in a grave yet powerful voice.

Antares nodded slightly in resignation. The terms where the standard affair for a Marriage Contract. At least he didn't have to have a child until he was 35; he was never very fond of children. There was still something he wanted to know, and that was how much the bride price and dowry was.

"All acceptable" replied Antares, "and the exchange? Just how much is my happiness worth?"

Orion's shoulders tensed, although his son hadn't said anything against the contract outright, he could still hear slight resentment in his tone. No matter what anyone told you about Orion Black, whether it be that he was a cruel and prejudice man or that he was dark wizard, there was no deny the fact that he cared for the happiness and well-being of his sons, and to see one of his sons so obviously angry with him, was truly heartbreaking. Nevertheless, he answered his son's question.

"Seeing as they are getting the better end of the deal, being married into the Black Family that is, the dowry from House Greengrass to House Black is 320 square miles of land in the North York Moors (valued at million galleons) and a lump sum of galleons. The bride price from House Black to House Greengrass is significantly less, with only a lump sum of galleons and a villa in Spain." declared Orion.

Antares eyes grew calculating as he went over what his father had just told him. Whilst the Blacks had given them more galleons, House Greengrass had given a very large, very valuable piece of property in the Moors. Such a piece of land had unending possibilities.

"I know that this is a lot to take in Antares. I too was once in the same position that you are in now, and I know that I myself didn't handle it half as well as you appear to be. I just wanted you to know that I and your mother did what we believe to be the best for your future, and the future of our House. I hope in time you are able to forgive us." Said Orion as he turned to leave.

But as he was nearing the door, Antares spoke, and for a second Orion thought all had been forgiven.

"Seeing as I am the one getting married, I believe it only fair that the dowry from House Greengrass is deposited into my vault, wouldn't you agree Father?"

Orion only smirked as he pulled a small gold key from out of his breast pocket, placing it gently on the desk beside him. Having known something of this was likely to occur (he knew the kind of person his son was), he had already flooed Gringotts and transferred the items into his son's name. It wasn't like the Black Family Vault needed the Galleons anyway.

"It's already been taken care of"

Knowing his eldest son had a lot on his mind; he turned and left his son to his thoughts, closing the door quietly behind him, he made his way to the sitting room to inform his wife of the outcome, a small smile on his lips and a spring in his step. The meeting had gone much better than he thought possible, now if only Sirius and Regulus could act as mature as Antares, than his life would be so much easier.


	2. Chapter 2

Antares didn't leave his room for the rest of the holidays. He refused to go down for dinner and instead had the House Elf's bring it directly to him, and even went as far as to put a ward on his door to prevent anyone from entering. Even if his father could remove the ward, he didn't. Something that Antares was grateful for.

After his father had left, the gravity of the situation had hit him like a ton of bricks, his muscular frame crumbling to the ground in a show of rare vulnerability. He laid like that for what seemed like forever, letting his mind go over various possibilities about his future. What if his future wife didn't like him? Or what if he didn't like her? What if their relationship was as bad and as loveless as his parents? But most of all, he thought of a 5th-year beauty that would never know of his feelings for her.

Before long the summer holidays where coming to a close, and it was only on the last day before returning to Hogwarts that he remembered that he still hadn't been to Diagon Alley to retrieve his 6th Year reading material, and it was with great reluctance that he found himself leaving the sanctity of his bedroom, and down into the hustle and bustle that was the dining room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

His father was hidden behind the daily prophet, snide remarks about the ministry leaving his lips every so often, whilst his mother was reading the latest edition of Witch Weekly.

Seeing as they hadn't acknowledged his presence, he went to clear his throat. But just as he was about to his mother looked up from her magazine.

"Decided to finally grace us with your presence did you" she sneered, an expression that fit oddly well on her beautiful face.

This was how his mother always acted; she was never nice to any of her children, Sirius especially. Years of this treatment from his mother had made him immune to its effect, and so he simply nodded. His father folded his paper and shot a warning glare at his wife, who rolled her eyes and went back to her reading.

"Is there something you wanted Antares?" asked Orion.

"I have to go to Diagon Alley and pick up my school supplies. I'll be home before dark," replied Antares, his face not revealing the anger and resentment that was bubbling under the surface. It was times like these that he appreciated his Grandfather for teaching him Occlumency.

His father nodded before pulling several envelopes from his pocket, each sealed with the Black Family Crest.

"Drop these off at Gringott's whilst you're there," said his father.

Antares picked them off the table and placed them in his robe pocket before leaving his parents to their frivolous live and into the main lounge, where his brother Regulus happened to be reading one of his schoolbooks on the sofa.

"Antares!" exclaimed Regulus, jumping out of his seat with a grin plastered on his face. It had been a whole week since he had seen his elder brother, quite a long time if he did say so himself

"Control yourself Regulus" snapped Antares "You are a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, not some common mudblood Hufflepuff. Act in a way that befits someone of your station."

Regulus rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he straightened his ruffled robes and stood with his head held high, his grin faded into a cool smirk. Even Antares was surprised at how quickly his youngest brother could replace his Slytherin mask.

"I heard about the Contract" whispered Regulus, his eyes downcast. Regulus knew the topic would be a sore point for his brother, finding out that you were to be married to someone you hardly knew would make anyone quick to anger. He was just glad it wasn't he who had a Marriage Contract.

"Bet you're relieved it isn't you," said Antares as he stepped around his brother and picked up the jar of Floo Powder.

Regulus looked up guiltily, wondering how his brother had known that was what he was thinking. His thought leaving him when he realized that Antares was planning on going somewhere.

"Where are you off to Ares," he asked, using his brother's childhood nickname.

Antares didn't respond. Instead, he took a generous handful of Floo Powder, placing the jar on the mantelpiece, before stepping into the families' grate.

"Diagon Alley" muttered Antares.

In a burst of green flames, Antares was whisked away from Grimmauld Place, leaving the questioning face of his brother far behind him.

Several Minutes went by as his body twisted and turned within the Floo Network, his eyes catching glances of other peoples grates as he travelled to his destination, The Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly his body came to a stop, and before he could even blink he was being shot out of the Cauldron's grate, where he landed with the utmost grace. Dusting a non-existent speck of dust from his robes, Antares strode straight past the various gawking witches and wizard, and out into the courtyard that acted as a gateway to Diagon Alley.

Antares pulled out his wand from his robe pocket (Blackthorn, 12 inches with a dragon heartstring core) before stepping forward and touching the red bricks of the wall in a certain order, the wall quickly transforming itself into an archway.

Even though he had seen Diagon Alley a thousand times, Antares could help the small smile that made its way onto his face as his eyes took in the magical site. His smile quickly vanished, however, when he spotted an obvious muggle family staring and pointing at everything in sight, expressions of wonder plastered on their faces. His eyes turned cold as he glared towards them, for it was people like they who made his - and every other purebloods - world so diluted. They, who came into his world and tried to force their mudblood views upon his people, trying to get things changed so that the Wizarding world resembled that of their precious muggle world, oh how he hated them.

28 Families. That was all that was left of the once great wizard Britain. 28 Families who had remained completely pure. 28 Families whose lines had not been diluted by that of the mudblood filth that was trying to invade his world. His family was one of those 28, and he would do anything in his power to make it remain so. These families, the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight, were but a fraction of what was once the pureblood capital of the world. How it saddened him to see his world reduced to such a state.

He had heard whispers. Whispers of a man who called himself Voldemort. He had heard that this so-called "Voldemort", was gathering himself follows, followers that he would use to flip the Wizarding World on its head, purifying the world of mudbloods and muggles alike.

Antares knew that the man was powerful; nobody would follow him if he wasn't, but he also knew that to destroy an entire race was not the right way to approach things. Hadn't Grindelwald and his muggle puppet taught them anything? Antares knew that it was thanks to Grindelwald's revolutionary war that many pureblood families had been wiped out, and he shuddered to think what would happen to the remaining pureblood families if another such war was to take place.

He knew it was but a manner of time before this so-called Voldemort started to recruit from within the Pureblood families, promising the downfall of the mudbloods would gather him a lot of support. If it came to it, Antares was willing to oppose this "Voldemort" person, if only to keep his family, and that of every other pureblood, safe.

Putting these thoughts to the back of his mind, he continued on into the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. As he made his way towards Gringotts, his expensive robes billowing behind him, he caught several Hogwarts witches giggling as he passed. His good looks and family wealth where handy tools to get into any witches knickers, and Antares had used both to do so on numerous occasions. Smirking at them, which only seemed to send them into more fits of hysterics, he finally found himself standing outside the imposing figure that was Gringotts: Wizarding Bank.

Climbing the marble stairs, Antares nodded to the guards, each of who nodded in turn, before making his way into the bank. Passing several long lines, Antares walked straight to the back of the brightly lit hall where he found the desk of the manager of the Black Family accounts. A huge goblin sat behind the desk, his pointed fingers clutching a magnifying glass and an emerald the size of Antares fist.

"Arok" greeted Antares.

"Scion Black, what may I do for you" returned Arok.

"My father wanted me to give you this,," said Antares as he handed over the letters his father had given him. "And I need to retrieve some gold from my Vault"

Arok nodded, before signalling another goblin to escort Antares to his vault.

Antares followed the unnamed goblin to the carts, and after a very long cart ride deep underground, they finally arrived at his vault.

"Vault 655, Personal Vault of one Antares Orion Black" wheezed the goblin as he stepped out of the cart, Antares following suit.

Taking the key from his pocket, Antares placed it in the tiny keyhole before turning it anti-clockwise. The large stone door creaked upon slowly to reveal a huge room filled with piles upon piles of neatly stacked galleons. So this was what One and a half million galleons look liked, thought Antares. Pulling out his expanded money pouch, he began shoving piles of gold into the sack, only stopping when a sizeable chuck had been removed from the pile he had decided to take from.

"Balance?" asked Antares of the goblin.

"One million four hundred and 83 thousand galleons, 304 sickles, 93 knuts" grunted the goblin.

Nodding happily, Antares closed the vault door and got back into the cart. The ride back to the surface was once again filled with silence, and it wasn't long before he was walking out of Gringotts with a large stack of gold in his pocket that was just waiting to be spent.

Deciding to get his textbooks first, Antares made his way towards Flourish & Blots, where he preceded to buy his sixth yearbooks, as well as a couple books on warding and the properties of Magic. Shrinking his purchases with a tap of his wand, he slowly made his way towards Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions.

"ah, Scion Black, what a pleasure it is. Here to collect your School Robes I take it" asked the smiling Madam Malkin, a squat witch dressed all in mauve and who had blue eyes and completely white hair.

"Correct, Madam" replied Antares, the smile on his face not reaching his eyes.

"Just the school robes today?" she asked him as she began taking his measurements, her measuring tape zooming around his body as she took jotted down the numbers on a scrap of parchment.

Antares thought it over. He was running out of clothes that fit properly, his recent growth spurt having made most of his robes two inches too short. His mother had taught him at a young age that what one wore was a major statement about their character, and that in order to be the acknowledged as the best, one must always look their best.

"I'll also need a new dress robe, black with a silver trimming and the Black Family crest on the breast pocket, as well as another three casual robes, two in dark blue and another in dark grey, these two should have my family crest. All of which shall be made with the finest Acromantula silk that you possess. I am also in need of several new shirts and slacks, all black in colour. That should do it for now." Listed off Antares, pausing now and then to think of what he wanted.

Madam Malkin jotted down each item as he rattled them off, tallying the cost of each item as she did so. Based on the number of items that her customer was wanting, plus the use of her finest Acromantula silk, she was about to make a hefty sale.

"The total comes to 234 galleons and 8 sickles, and everything shall be ready for you in about an hour"

"Very well" replied Antares, pulling the required amount out of his money pouch and placing it in neatly stacked rows upon the counter.

"I shall return within the hour," Antares said over his shoulder as he exited the shop.

'What to do' thought Antares as he looked up and down the Alley, wondering which store he needed to visit next. His eyes skipped over Quality Quidditch Supplies (he had no time for such a frivolous sport), and that of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour (one didn't get his kind of figure by eating such junk), before his eyes landed on something of interest.

Nestled between the Magical Menagerie and Obscurus Books, was a small store called Wedding Supplies and Gifts, so average and drab looking was the storefront, that Antares couldn't recall a time when he had ever noticed the dingy little shop.

His tutors, not to mention his parents, had taught him everything that a Pureblood heir needed to know and one of those things happened to be a little old tradition called Courting. Although he would of course honour the tradition, he by no means was looking forward to it.

Courting had been around since medieval times. It had once been used as a way to pick the perfect suitor for women to marry, but as he was already contracted to marry Helena it was more of a formality than anything else. The courting process lasted anywhere between one and two months, and in that time he was supposed to do a variety of things in order to show his betrothed that he was both a capable wizard and devoted to the relationship. The first step of courting was to for him send a letter and a personal gift to his betrothed every three days as it was considered inappropriate for a man to speak to his betrothed for the entirety of the first month. Seeing as he needed to buy several personal gifts for Helena, Antares took his noticing of the store as a sign that he should probably buy her some gifts whilst he had the chance. Wasting no time whatsoever, Antares strode across the cobblestone street and into the quaint little store, his robes billowing dramatically behind him all the while.

As his eyes readjusted to the dim lighting, he looked around the shop and was quite surprised at what he saw. Unlike the outside, the inside was neat and sparkling clean, shelves and shelves stacked high with a large assortment of gifts, both magical and mundane in nature.

"Great, just great" muttered Antares, knowing it was going to take him forever to find the perfect gifts for Helena. Stepping forward Antares introduced himself to the owner, a tall middle-aged witch, and so began one of the longest hours of his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Read and Review. Boring, Interesting! Let me know.
> 
> Criticisms? Complaints? Tell me.
> 
> Any tips or things you think I should know/do. Leave it in the Review.
> 
> In case people are wondering, Helena Greengrass is the second child of Jasper Greengrass, she has an older brother who has already left Hogwarts, he is the father of Daphne and Astoria Greengrass.


	3. Chapter 3

September the 1st dawned bright and early, and to say that Grimmauld Place was unusually busy would be putting it mildly. What was usually a place of silence and cold austerity was uncharacteristically filled with the sounds of heavy footfalls and various curse words as the youngest members of the Black Family rushed from room to room in a last effort to collect the school supplies they had happened to misplace over the summer holidays.

Antares however, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was sitting in his room, dressed in his finest robes whilst seated at his desk, a phoenix feather quill in one hand and a piece of toast in the other. Ever since he had been to Gringotts, and seen the vast wealth that he had recently acquired, he had taken a vested interest in personally handling his finances. Currently, he was going through various business portfolios in order to look for potential investments, a task that was as boring as it sounded. Several minutes passed, his quill making several scratches on the parchment as he took another bite of his toast and sipped on his green tea.

Hearing footsteps on the stairwell, Antares picked up his wand and cast a quick Tempus spell, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed that it was already time to head to the station. Getting up from his chair, he waved his wand over his desk, nonverbally casting two banishing charms (one to send his dishes to the sink, and the other sent his documents to his trunk). He was halfway through shrinking his trunk when somebody knocked on his door. Judging by the sound of it, his father was on the other side.

"Enter"

He was correct of course, as he knew he would be. His father stood before him, his tall frame draped in expensive black robes, the black crest proudly displayed on his left breast.

"It's time to leave. Have you got everything?" he asked.

"Just about" replied Antares, before stuffing both his shrunken trunk and his wand into the innermost pocket of his robe.

"Ready," he said.

"I'd like a word before you leave if that's okay?" asked his father, who now that Antares though about it was looking a little stressed, the bags under his eyes being one of several signs.

"Of course" answered Antares.

"I know that – things – haven't been the same between us Antares. Ever since I informed you of your marriage contract you have barely left your room, and I hardly doubt it's because you need the extra study. Is there anything you need to discuss with me, anything at all?" asked Orion, his dark eyes taking on a concerned look as they gazed into those of his sons.

Antares looked towards his father as he debated on whether or not he should reveal his true feelings in regards to the marriage contract between Helena Greengrass and himself. The relationship between him and his father had always been a strange one, his father had always been a strict and commanding parent, expecting nothing but the best from all of his children. Yet his father had always been stricter on him than on that of his brothers. Despite this, his father had always been there to help him when he needed it the most, especially when it concerned matters of the heart.

"As a matter of fact, there is" replied Antares as he turned around and sat down on the edge of his bed, his father taking a seat before him on the nearby desk chair.

Not knowing where to start, Antares decided to skip all of his other concerns (especially the one that concerned his love for someone he wasn't supposed to) and focused on the one thing that was truly troubling him.

"I am concerned that my betrothed and I will not be happy together. That we shall be doomed spend the rest of our lives together in a relationship that is comprised of anger and resentment." Said Antares, his voice filled with dread, his slender finger fiddling with

If Orion was surprised at his son's troubled view of his future, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned forward and grasped his son's hands between his own and looked directly into his son's eyes, eyes that mirrored the exact same expression he had worn twenty years ago.

"Listen to me Antares Orion Black" whispered Orion, his voice quiet yet stern. "For nigh on two millennia, our family has remained untainted by those of lesser blood. It is the pureness of our blood that makes the family magic remains some of the strongest in the entire world. It is because of marriage contracts like yours that we are able to make sure that our heir finds a suitable mate and that our lines remain pure. Not all marriages are happy ones, that I can agree with. Although you and Miss Greengrass may have a marriage such as you described, there is no telling for sure what your future together may hold. Who knows, you both might discover that you have more in common with each other than you previously thought."

"But what if we don't have anything in common, what if we never fall in love?" interrupted Antares.

"Then make her fall in love with you, use that big brain of yours to show her that you are everything she desires in a man. Make her fall in love with you and you may just find yourself falling in love her. Heed my advice Antares, if only my father had given the advice I have just shared with you, then maybe my marriage would be as happy as yours hopefully is."

Antares nodded his head as his father spoke. He wasn't totally convinced that his father's advice would work, but he would give it a try nonetheless, better he try it and fail than regret not trying it at all.

"I'll do all that I can father, you can make sure of that" replied Antares.

"Excellent" smiled Orion, before getting to his feet.

"Now come on, your brothers are waiting for us in the living room".

30 minute Later – Platform Nine and Three Quarters, London, England

Antares and Regulus stood side by side, their backs straight and their heads held high as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to depart. They weren't alone of course. Platform Nine and Three Quarters was packed with Hogwarts students (and their families), all eagerly waiting for the train to depart and for the school year to begin.

Antares looked around the platform in sheer disgust, his keen eyesight quickly landing on several mudbloods and their filthy parents. Oh how much easier it would be if he could just take a portkey to Hogsmeade, at least then he wouldn't have to be seen in the same vicinity as the muggle scum that currently stood not 12 feet away from him.

Checking his watch for the fifth time that day, Antares was pleased to learn that the train would be leaving in 15 minutes.

"You may as well go and find your friends now, the training will be leaving soon enough," Antares said to his brother.

"Finally! Ares" replied Regulus, "I don't know why you didn't just let me leave when Sirius went off to find Potter"

"You know exactly why I didn't let you leave. It is my job to look after you, and a lecture from Mother and Father is the last thing I need right now. Now go, I don't doubt your friends are looking for you"

But as the last words left his lips Regulus was already on the move, his small build weaving through the throng of people as he rushed to meet up with his friends.

Shaking his head in amusement, Antares followed his brother's footsteps and made his way onto the train.

A cacophony of noise assaulted his ears as he entered the carriage, the small space effectively amplifying the sound of the room. Antares glanced down the corridor, and mentality groaned as he seen just how many people where jam-packed into the hallway. At this rate, it was going to take him forever to get his compartment.

Antares smirked evilly as he came up with a quick solution to his problem. Drawing his wand from his robes, he subtlety aimed it straight down the corridor of the train. With the required spell in mind, Antares silently waved his wand from side to side.

Before his very eyes the compartment doors on either side of the carriage opened with a BANG!, and everyone who had previously been occupying the hall were forcefully pushed into the compartments, where the doors then preceded to lock them in (in order to prevent retaliation from Antares' peers).

Smiling slightly himself, Antares walked through the now empty corridor (past his disgruntled classmates), until he reached the very last compartment, the only compartment that happened to be empty.

Opening the door, Antares entered the small brightly lit room and promptly sat down on the left-hand side, right next to the window. He was in the process of tucking his wand back into his robe when he remembered that there were around two dozen students trapped in various compartments against their will, which he promptly reversed with the flick of his wrist.

Antares didn't have to wait long as before he knew it the train's horn signalled that it was about to depart, and it was moments later that he began to feel the train start to move. Moments went by and soon enough the train was going fast enough that entire fields were passing by the window in a blur.

It wasn't long before Antares had to pull his Arithmancy book out of his trunk in order to stave off his impending boredom, but even that couldn't take his mind away from the fact that he would be meeting his future wife in naught but a month.

One would think that he would choose to share a compartment with his friends, and normally he would. In previous years he had used the annual train ride to Hogwarts as a way to relax and enjoy the company of his close friends, and also to fool around with some of the less proper girls who had shared his bed on more than one occasion. But this year, he had no time for such idle chit-chat and tomfoolery. He had various things on his mind that prevented him from relaxing with friends and making out with pretty girls in the train's lavatory. Marriage, Helena Greengrass and Lily Evans were the most frequent of his thoughts.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Antares was still deeply upset over the fact that the rest of his life had already been planned for him. Sure, he had expected to be married in the near future, but the fact that he wasn't able to choose his own wife was something that deeply upset him. The Black Family had of course used marriage contracts for time beyond reckoning, and he should have known that the same rule would apply to him. Yet he had thought that society was modern enough and that his family loved and respected him enough, for him to at least pick who his future partner was.

Antares had plans for his future. Plans that would see him, and his family, raised to such a legendary status that witches and wizards for a thousand generations would remember the name of Antares Black. He still hadn't decided on whether or not him being married had hastened or halted his plans, but he guessed that all would be revealed in due time.

Turning to the window where the green fields where ever present and a light rain had begun to fall, Antares couldn't help but smirk as he envisioned his plans for the future of the Black family.

"And what a glorious future it shall be" whispered Antares.


	4. Chapter 4

"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"

Antares slowly opened one eye and peeked a look towards the compartment door, not really in the mood to entertain any of his friends at this particular time. But seeing a mane of fiery red hair attached to one very fine figure made him reevaluate his previous thoughts on privacy.

Getting out of his chair, Antares subtly smoothed down the corners of his already immaculate robes before unlocking the door, revealing the beautiful and angelic face of Lily Evans.

She wasn't a particularly tall woman, standing at around half a head shorter than himself, yet her frame was definitely sexier than his own, at least in his opinion anyway. He had never seen her in anything other than the school robes, and by no means was he able to accurately assess her womanly figure, but from what he was able to see she definitely had a gorgeous body. Her face, on the other hand, was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. She had creamy alabaster skin, shoulder-length slightly curly red hair, cute pink lips, rosy cheeks, and the most captivating green eyes he had ever laid eyes on. All in all, she was one beautiful woman.

"Evans?" questioned Antares, his trademark smirk ever present on his handsome face.

"Antares" Lily replied coolly, her lips thin in slight disapproval of his use of her last name.

"So, what can I do you for, Evans? I haven't got all day you know" asked Antares.

One would wonder why he was acting in such a manner, especially to someone who was as beautiful as Lily Evans. Believe it or not, there was a valid reason – at least valid in his eyes – as to why he was acting like such an ass, and it had everything to do with his upbringing.

When one belonged to an illustrious family such as his, one was taught to preserve one's image – as well as the families – at all costs. Since first year he had preserved the image that he was a smart, sophisticated and mysterious gentleman who cared little for anyone outside his family and who wasn't in the habit of being particularly kind to his fellow students (especially those of the mudblood variety). Yet in reality, he was an ambitious, unmerciful, cold-hearted blood purist who was also suave, kindhearted and charismatic. He was aware that such a personality wasn't normal. But since when had his family ever been normal.

His image was the reason he was being such an ass. He was being an ass because it was expected of him to be an ass, doing anything less would ruin the image that he so masterfully created. Whilst being an ass to Lily wasn't something he enjoyed (and he did enjoy being an ass to certain people), it wasn't like he was going to destroy years of work for any girl, not even for a fine piece of ass like Lily Evans.

"Nice to see you too, Antares" replied Lily sarcastically, not at all bothered by the eldest Black's dismissive attitude.

"I mean it, Evans," said Antares "I'm not in the mood to deal with any Prefect related duties at the moment. Make one of the younger years handle it."

"It's not about Prefect duties, it's about something else" proclaimed Lily, taking a seat opposite him.

"And what can I, a lowly Slytherin, not including a Black, do for the Gryffindor golden girl" sneered Antares, his mask once again in full effect.

"It's important, Antares," said Lily quietly, crossing her arms and sitting her back in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation she was coming to Antares for.

Antares expression changed from sneer to mildly curious in the blink of an eye. A stressed out Evans was something he had never seen. Maybe whatever Lily had to discuss with him was important after all.

"I know that we haven't spoken very often," said Lily, her voice low and her eyes downcast. "You being a Sixth year and a Slytherin, and me being a Fifth year and Gryffindor. And I know that you have no reason what-so-ever in agreeing to my request, god knows why I'm asking even asking you of all people. But I was wondering … I was wondering if you'd be able to maybe … tutor me in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?" Her voice becoming lower and lower the more she spoke.

Antares couldn't believe his ears. Sitting before him was the one person in the world he least expected to ever ask him for something, especially something as mundane as Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

"And why would you, Lily Evans, self-proclaimed 'brightest witch of her age', need the help of little old me," remarked Antares, eyes alight with curiosity whilst he grinned impishly at her.

Lily ducked her head and blushed in embarrassment. Not only was she embarrassed that she needed help with her schoolwork, she was also embarrassed by the fact that the hottest boy in school was actually conversing with her, and in a civilized manner at that.

Don't get her wrong, she may be the teacher's pet and the Gryffindor golden girl, but that didn't negate the fact that she like boys just as much the next girl. The advances from the boys in her year didn't go unnoticed, how could they with that idiot Potter trying to woo her at every opportunity he got. Yet she wasn't interested in Potter. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome, it was more to do with the fact that he was about as mature as her 2-year-old nephew.

"You know as well as I Antares that Arithmancy and Ancient Runes at a Fifth Year level is exceedingly difficult, more so for someone not raised in the wizarding world. It isn't totally unbelievable that I'm falling behind in a couple of classes. Please, Antares, you're the only person I know that's smart enough, and hopefully willing enough, to teach me" Lily asked the Black heir pleadingly.

"And why should I, Evans? What is it to me if you fail Arithmancy and Ancient Runes? Last time I checked I didn't owe you or anyone else any favours" asked Antares, folding his arms over his chest and sitting his back against the seat.

Lily wasn't surprised by Antares' unsympathetic attitude, it wasn't like she expected him to do what she wanted out of the kindness of his heart. Purebloods (Black's especially) weren't known for their contribution to those in need, especially if they received nothing that could benefit them in return.

She knew that if she could offer Antares something of value that he might at least consider helping her with her studies. The only problem was, what do you get for someone who could clearly afford whatever they wanted?

"You could do it out of the kindness of your art" she jokingly asked him, a small smile on her lips.

"Unlikely" snorted Antares "have another go".

"You've already got enough gold, so I doubt you want that. Oh I know, I could set you up a date with Katherine Atkins" Said Lily brightly, believing she had found the perfect way to pay for her tutoring lesson.

"Pass," said Antares, a bored look on his face.

Lily blinked in shock. Antares hadn't even blinked at her proposal to set him up with Katherine Atkins, something she was positive was going to work. Katherine Atkins was the hottest girl in Gryffindor. She also happened to be a pureblood that came from a very old family. Every boy that had ever asked her out had been her rejected, so to say that she was surprised that someone with Antares reputation as a womanizer was putting it mildly.

"What do you want from me then?" she asked.

Antares thought about it for a moment. There offer of her setting him up with Katherine Atkins wasn't at all appealing, he wasn't interested in anyone other than Lily, plus the fact that he was contracted to be married really put a damper on one's sex life. There really wasn't anything that Lily could offer him, monetarily wise at least. If his father had taught him anything, it was that gold was the least valuable currency in existence.

Several minutes passed as Antares though about what he could extract from Lily in return for his services.

"Here's the deal," Antares told her. "I'll tutor you in Ancient Runes on Monday and Ancient Runes on Wednesdays, the time and place will vary from week to week. If anybody asks why I'm tutoring you, you tell them that teachers are forcing me to, the last thing I need is the entire school population thinking I'm willing to help somebody in need, I do have a reputation to protect after all. In return for me tutoring you, you will cover my prefect duties whenever asked, as well as owing me two favours (non-sexual and non-dangerous in nature) that you must complete without question or complaint."

"Do you agree with said terms?" he asked her, holding out his hand for her to shake whilst looking her directly in the eyes.

Seeing as the favors would be non-sexual and non-dangerous, Lily held out her hand – so small and delicate compared to his own – and shook it, her heart skipping a beat when she felt the warm thrum of magic join their hands in a binding magical contract that would prove fatal to whoever didn't uphold their end of the deal.

"If that's everything Evans, I'd really like to get back to my nap that you so rudely interrupted," said Antares snidely, his arrogant persona slipping right back into place.

Lily just smiled as she stood up and made to leave, turning back towards Antares at the last second.

"Thanks, Antares," she said earnestly. "Not many people in your position would agree to tutor a fifth year, especially with NEWTs next year and all. I know that everyone says you're an arrogant blood purist with no care for anyone other than yourself, but I don't believe them." Here she looked him directly in the eye and gave him a sad smile. "I believe that deep down inside yourself ... that theirs a sensitive and caring guy who hides behind a mask because it is expected of him to do so. I hope that in time that you can learn to trust me enough to show me the real you."

And with that parting statement, she slid open the door and made her way back to her compartment, leaving a very confused Antares in her wake.

"If only you knew her truly wrong you are Lily. If only you knew" he whispered to himself, turning his head to look out the window once again.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts proved uneventful for Antares.

The old lady with the food trolley made an appearance, and he was forced to do his Prefect rounds. But besides these two things, everything went by as per usual.

It was several hours later when the sky had darkened and the rain had begun to fall, that the Hogwarts express finally arrived at its destination. It was a good thing too because Antares was positively starving due to refusing to buy anything off of the food trolley because it consisted of nothing but junk food.

Antares hardly paid any attention to what he was doing as he maneuvered his way off the train and towards the carriages that would take him and the other students to the gates of Hogwarts. He stopped for a moment outside of his carriage in order to pat the Thestral that pulled it, grinning slightly when it playfully nipped at his fingers.

Usually, he would share a carriage with his friends, but just like the train ride down he was in for another silent journey with naught but his thoughts to occupy his time.

As he listened to the soft pitter-patter of the falling rain, he couldn't help but think back to his earlier conversation with Lily.

Although he had acted upset that he had to tutor someone, in actual fact he was quite glad that he would get to spend some alone time with the pretty redhead.

He didn't know why, but ever since he had noticed her in his fourth year (her third) he had had an inconceivable amount of affection for her. Something that not only shocked him but also frightened him beyond belief.

He was on his way to Transfiguration one morning, his thought occupied by the amazing night he had spent with a certain lady when he ran headfirst into a 13-year-old Lily Evans. He remembered looking up to make a snide remark at the foolish person who had dared get in his way. Yet when he saw who it was he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her and his voice seem to die in his throat.

It wasn't that she was breathtakingly beautiful, because she was. He had seen plenty of women as beautiful as Lily, yet the difference was that they didn't have the same effect that she was having on him. Nor was it how smart, generous and kind-hearted she was. It was that she possessed a quality that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Whatever it was, it made him feel content and happy inside, as if all his worries and feelings were inferior to her. It was a feeling that had never been replicated when in the presence of someone else.

Yet although he had loved this new and wonderful feeling, a feeling that let him simply relax and forget about his worries for once in his life, he had no choice but to bury it within the deep recesses of his mind, implementing the rare art of Occlumency in order to do so.

It wasn't that the feeling wasn't a welcome one, because it was, it was more to do with the person who was causing the feelings to begin with.

The fact that a muggleborn – he refused to call Lily a Mudblood – was the object of his desires wasn't something to be proud about. He was a pureblood from an old and prestigious family, and she was a muggleborn. Whether he liked it or not, there was nothing in the future for him and Lily.

So instead of dwelling on what could never be, he had decided to lock his feelings away. As the age-old proverb said; it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. And that was exactly what he and Lily being together was, nothing more and nothing less than a dream that could never come to pass.

His carriage came to a stop not ten minutes later. The rain had picked up and was now hammering down upon the ground. 'Thank Merlin for protection charms' thought Antares as he exited his carriage and made his way across the Hogwarts grounds with his classmates.

The castle loomed mightily above them as the students made their way across the courtyard and into the entrance hall, the ancient wooden doors closing magically behind them.

The castle loomed over him as Antares followed the rest of his classmates across the courtyard and into the entrance hall, the ancient wooden doors closing magically behind them when the last student had crossed the threshold.

The entrance hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was vast and beautiful. The floor was made black and white marble and the walls were adorned with various tapestries. Portraits of important witches and wizards also covered the walls, their aged faces basically poking out of their frames in order to get a better look at the returning student.

Antares ignored the portraits as he and the rest of the student body were lead into the great hall, the students splitting into their respective houses as they passed through the door.

The Great Hall was aptly named. A thousand floating candles filled the room, reflecting brightly off of the golden platters that littered the tables below. Platters that would soon be filled with foods of various types.

As Antares was at the very back of the line of students, he found that his friends had already been seated by the time that he had entered the hall. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but he really was glad to see them.

As he made his way over to the Slytherin table, one of his best friends caught sight of him and gestured for Antares to join them.

"We were beginning to think that you weren't going to show," said the teen who had called him over, a good looking guy with curly brown hair and lightly tanned skin.

"Nott" replied Antares in response, nodding to the youth before shaking his hand.

"Avery. Flint." said Antares to the other two men seated at the table, grasping both of their hands in a firm handshake.

"Black" they nodded back almost in unison.

Turning around, Antares bowed to the last members of their ground, two breathtakingly beautiful women who were both smiling at him with their beautiful white straight teeth.

"Lady Parkinson. Lady Wilkes."

"Scion Black" they replied, bobbing their heads towards the Black Heir.

Calling his friends by their last names (and their titles) may seem strange and old-fashioned to some, yet there was a good reason for the formality. Seeing as they were in public, and they all belonged to respectable pureblood families, it was up to them to present themselves with decorum and propriety. As such whenever they were introduced to a fellow member of the elite, it was custom to introduce oneself using the persons last name or title.

Antares gave each of them a smile before taking a seat between the two of them.

To his right sat the black-haired beauty by the name of Sophia Wilkes. She had a lithe figure, wavy black hair that went to her shoulders, creamy white skin and beautiful brown eyes. Besides Nott, Sophia was perhaps his closest friend, having been so since he was very young. Like himself, Sophia was also studious and intellectually gifted and was (along with himself) one of the top students in the entire school.

To his left sat the enigmatic beauty that was Caroline Parkinson.

Like Sophia, Caroline was also strikingly beautiful. With black hair, blue eyes and a generous bust, the Parkinson heir had no problem in the dating department. Caroline's family was nearly as old as his own, belonging to the prestigious and exclusive organization that was the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

Across from Sophia and Caroline sat Jasper Avery and Tristan Flint. Jasper and Tristan were the complete opposite of each other despite being closer than brothers. Tristan had blonde hair, an attractive face and a large muscular frame. Jasper, on the other hand, had black hair, an average (but not unattractive) face a stick-thin body. Tristan was outgoing, confident and the brawn of their group, whereas Jasper was shy, quiet and intelligent. Ever since he had met them the two had been inseparable. Where one was the other wasn't far behind.

And lastly, sitting across from him was none other than Xavier Nott.

Xavier Nott had been his best friend since he was 6 years old. Their families' ran in the same social circles so whenever there was a social gathering the children were all forced to play together. Such occasions were the opportune time to make future alliances, at least that's what Antares had been told by his father. It was at one of these social gatherings that he had first met Xavier Nott, and them being very similar they had quickly become very good friends.

To Say that Xavier and he were similar would be an understatement. Besides from the both of them being exceedingly handsome (he was completely secure in his sexuality that he had no problem calling his fellow man handsome), they were both smart, magically powerful, rich and revolutionists in the making. Xavier was the person that he confided in when he needed help with things of a sensitive nature. Xavier shared his opinion on the way things were meant to be and would be his second-in-command when his future plans came to fruition. But Xavier was more than just a sounding board and future lieutenant. Xavier was his brother in all but blood.

"How was your summer Antares?" asked Caroline. "I had just finished telling the guys about my families' trip to Versailles before you joined us."

"Swimming, Studying, Family gatherings. A relatively quiet summer, all things considering" shrugged Antares nonchalantly, not mentioning anything about Helena Greengrass.

"How about you guys?," asked Antares, glancing around the table at his friends. "What did you lot get up to whilst I was away?."

"Well, my family went to Spain for 2 months. The beaches there are absolutely fabulous" said Sophia.

"Milan," said Nott, not needing to deliberate further since they all knew Xavier had family in Italy.

"Avery? Flint?" asked Antares, looking towards the remaining members of the group.

"Better than Jasper's at least," said Tristan quietly, looking towards his friend.

Xavier, Sophia, Antares and Caroline looked toward Jasper with concern.

"Jasper?" asked Caroline quietly, grasping his hand from across the table.

Jasper withdrew his hand from hers and looking down at his empty plate, refusing to look at any of them.

"What is it Jasper?" asked Xavier. "You know you can tell ..."

But Xavier was interrupted by the clinking of metal upon metal. The entire hall turned their attention to the professor's table, where the Deputy Headmistress was standing up with a goblet in one hand and a spoon in the other. It appeared as if they had been so wrapped up in catching up with each other that they had missed the sorting feast entirely.

"May I have your attention please?" said McGonagall. "The Headmaster would like to say a few words".

Dumbledore got to his feet, his dark maroon robes with green stars clashing horribly with his long grey beard and sparkling blue eyes.

"To our new students, Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and to returning students, welcome back. I'm sure you're all just as famished as I am, so without further ado. Dig In!"

With a wave of his arms the once empty tables filled with an assortment of delicious food, the first year's mouths dropping and their eyes nearly popping out of their head as they watched the food magically appear.

Antares piled chicken, salad and vegetables onto his plate, completely avoiding the calorie-heavy food such as cheese, potato and bread.

The feast progressed in a similar fashion to years past, with Antares and his friends catching up and making small-talk on the subjects of schoolwork, the local gossip and upcoming parties and gatherings for the upcoming year. What was different than previous years, however, was the fact that Tristan refused to speak to any of them about his problem and instead sat playing with his food for the entire night.

After the dessert dishes had been cleared away, the aged Headmaster once again stood up from his seat.

"Settle down everyone, settle down," he said to his students, the room becoming instantaneously quiet.

"I have a few start of term notices to inform you of before you all trod off to bed. Firstly, to our new students, the Forbidden Forest is aptly named and is forbidden to all students. Secondly, our previous Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was bitten by a werewolf, and as such is unable to return. We are, however, fortunate enough to have found a replacement for Professor Braddock, please give a warm welcome to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Nathaniel Graves."

As Dumbledore said his name, the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff stood up and gave the students a wave. Professor Graves was a mild-aged man with short brown hair and an oddly crooked nose, not unlike that of the Headmasters. He wasn't very tall, standing at about 5ft 5 and wore expensive looking dress robes of navy blue. The students clapped politely as their new DADA teacher stood forward, no sense of shock or wonder on their faces at the misfortune of their last professor, it was common knowledge that a curse was placed on the position.

"And lastly" continued Dumbledore when the room was once again silent "Anyone wishing to try out for their house Quidditch team should attend their team try-outs in the second week of the semester, please note that trying out for your house Quidditch team is only open to second years and above. Now I don't doubt that you are all just dying to get back to your common rooms and relax, so off to bed with you, chop chop."

And with that, the room once again broke into loud commotion as the students stood up from their table and made their way towards the common room.

"So, what do you guys make of this new Professor," asked Antares of his friend as they got up from their seats and made there towards the entrance hall.

"Well the Graves are a Pureblood family, but apart from that I don't know anything about him," said Caroline.

"All I know is that he better be competent, the last thing we need is another Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who has no idea what they're doing," said Xavier, to which the rest of them agreed.

"And what if he is incompetent," asked Tristan with raised eyebrows.

"Well then we'll just have to make sure that Professor Graves goes on a little holiday, won't we?" said Antares, to which the rest of them grinned mischievously at one another.

'Let's just hope for your sake Professor that you do a better job than your predecessors' thought Antares as he followed his friends past the portrait of their house namesake and into the common room beyond.


	6. Chapter 6

After Antares had inducted the first years into the Slytherin way of life, which was one of his duties as a Prefect, he joined his friends in the common room to catch up and discuss things that couldn't be discussed in public because of their sensitive nature.

The Slytherin common room was relatively large. It was furnished with expensive yet tasteful furniture that was black, silver and dark green in colour. Unlike the other three houses, each student in Slytherin got their own personal dorm room, which could be any size the student wanted depending on how much your parents wanted to pay for it. Antares' parents had, of course, bought the biggest room size available, for nothing but the best was fit for their sons.

It was many hours later - in the early hours of the morning - that the common room finally began to empty, the students finally decided it was time for bed. Antares, however, stayed seated, having noticed that Jasper had made no move to get up from his position by the fire.

Antares and the rest of his friends had been unable to get the teen to talk to any of them about what was wrong with him, Tristan knew of course, but had refused to tell any of them, saying it wasn't his information to tell.

"Look, Jasper," said Antares as he stood up from his seat, "I know that I don't know what it is that you're going through, and I don't know what it is that I, or any of the others, can do to help you with whatever's bothering you. Just know that we're here for you whenever you are ready to tell us".

Antares took one last look at his friend, whose back was facing him as he gazed into the fire, before turning around to make his way to his dorm

"A Marriage Contract" said Jasper quietly.

"What!" said Antares, whipping around sharply, thinking that Jasper had somehow found out about the marriage contract between himself and the Helena Greengrass.

"What do you mean A Marriage Contract?"

"My parents …" said Jasper slowly, his voice croaking slightly" My parents … have seen fit to put me in a Marriage Contract".

Antares heart sank just a little at these words. It was one thing for him to be in a Marriage Contract, he loved women and knew how to interact with them. Jasper, on the other hand, wasn't so confident. Jasper hadn't had any dealings with women besides Sophia, Caroline, the professors and his family. Antares didn't know why his friend was so shy of people, especially women, and when he had asked his friend why, had been told: "that's how I've always been". His heart went out to his friend because he knew that it would be hard for him to cope with the fact that he would eventually have to come out of his shy and introverted ways in order to interact with his future wife.

"Who is to be the future Lady Avery?" asked Antares, taking a seat beside his friend. "If you don't mind me asking ... that is".

"Sarah West" replied Jasper, still gazing into the fire.

Sarah West was a 7th year Hufflepuff. She was quite pretty in her own way and came from a respectable Pureblood family that were very Anti-Muggle.

"Well at least she's comely enough," said Antares, grinning slightly.

"What am I to do Antares?" asked Jasper after a while, finally looking away from the fire and towards his friend.

Antares didn't know what to say. He wanted to help his friend of course but didn't know exactly how. He could, of course, tell Jasper that he too was being subjected to a marriage contract, at least then Jasper wouldn't feel so alone. But Antares didn't know if he was ready to reveal his betrothal to Helena. It wasn't that he was embarrassed or ashamed of the fact that he was being betrothed, it was that once everyone knew he was to be married, his entire reputation would be forever changed.

"I have something to tell you, Jasper. Something that you must promise to tell no one." said Antares after a long while.

"You know me Antares, have I ever broken a promise"

Antares nodded his head, to his knowledge Jasper knew how to keep a secret. Antares didn't know if what he was about to reveal was for the best or not, but if it helped his friend deal with his own situation than at least he was being a good friend.

"I too am to be married" announced suddenly Antares to his friend.

"W – wh – what do you mean you're to be married?" stuttered Jasper, eyebrows raised high in confusion.

"I mean exactly that," replied Antares. "I too have found myself forced into a marriage contract against my will".

"Since when?" asked Jasper after getting over his shock.

"The end of summer. And before you ask, Helena Greengrass" said Antares, already anticipating Jasper's next question.

Several minutes of silence passed between them, the both of them thinking about the situation that would be affecting them both in the near future.

It was Jasper who eventually broke this silence, his natural curiosity getting the best of him.

"How do you feel?" he asked Antares.

"Hmm?' hummed Antares, not fully understanding what he was being asked.

"About the contract. How do you feel?" Jasper asked for a second time.

Antares didn't answer straight away. For once in his life, he didn't know what to say, and even if he did, he didn't know whether he was interested in revealing such private information. He had been taught from a young age to keep your cards close to your chest, even amongst friend, for friends can turn into enemies just as quickly as enemies can become friends. Not that he was worried about Jasper becoming his enemy or anything along those lines, he just took his privacy very seriously.

"I don't rightly know" replied Antares eventually, deciding that Jasper's question wasn't harmful in any way.

"At first I wasn't particularly happy with my parents. How could I when they had made one of the most important decisions in my life without consulting me. The fact that my future wife is someone as beautiful as Helena Greengrass does take some of the sting out of the situation. I mean, have you seen that ass" Antares said jokingly to his friend, a large grin plastered on his face.

Antares grin faltered. Jasper was once again gazing into the fire, a sad and worried expression on his face.

Antares was quickly getting fed up with Jasper's moodiness. He knew first-hand what it was like to find out that you were to be married to someone you hadn't even met, but that didn't give Jasper the right to act all sullen and depressed. He had gotten over the fact that he was to be married, so why couldn't Jasper?

"Don't worry about your situation too much Jasper. For all you know this may be the best thing that's ever happened to you" Said Antares quietly as he stood up from his position on the floor.

Antares turned in the direction of his dorm and was halfway across the room when Jasper finally looked up.

"Thank you, Antares," he said. "For listening, and confiding in me".

"Think nothing of it" Antares replied, "But do me a favour and make sure you don't go to bed too late, don't forget we have class first thing in the morning".

With that last parting statement, Antares walked out of the common room and made his way towards his room, which was located at the end of a long corridor lined with black doors with silver handles.

Antares opened his door and quickly made his way inside, quite keen to go to bed after such a long and mildly stress-full day.

When Antares entered his room for the first time in over 2 months, a genuine smile crept onto his face. Sometimes he just loved being rich.

To say that his room was extravagant would be doing his room an injustice.

The room measured around 8 metres width by 6 metres in length, the floor was made out of white marble and the walls of black granite. A large California king bed made of some type of wood stood against the wall in the middle of the room, nicely decorated with a silver and black duvet. On the left, the entire side of the wall was covered by a very modern looking bookshelf, the only odd thing being was that it was covered from head to toe with what seemed like a thousand old and dusty tomes. Beside his bed stood two side table, one on either side and each piled high with whatever books he had been reading the last time he was here. To the right of his room stood a very large desk, a freestanding mirror, two armoires (one for casual clothes and the other for robes) and his banner displaying the black family crest. In the centre of his room – between the door and his bed – lay a very large black furry rug which had silver accents running through it. All in all, it was a very large, very comfortable room that displayed enough wealth so as not to appear gaudy and wasteful. To Antares it was more than just a bedroom, to him, it was his home away from home.

Walking over to the right side of the room, Antares began to get ready to bed. Firstly he took off his shoes, and socks, his robe, tie, shirt and pants wore soon to follow. Once he was standing in just his boxers – surprisingly not black but a dark red in colour – he pulled out his wand and quickly cast a mouth cleaning charm, before placing his wand and his bedside table – atop a pile of books – before climbing into bed.

Today had been a long, yet interesting, day for Antares. Not only had he secured some intimate time with Lily, he had also got to finally meet up with his friends and had found out that his friend was in the same situation that he was. The year had started off on a relatively good note and he was quite looking forward to the year to come. In previous years he had focused primarily on having a good time, spending time with friends and various women and focusing on his studies. Yet this year was going to be unlike previous years. This year he would be focusing on his long-term goals and plans for his future.

Originally his plan was to graduate from Hogwarts, slowly enter the political scene and eventually build towards his goals. But his plans had changed because of his marriage contract. How was he supposed to accomplish his goals whilst also having to play host to his wife, who he would have to have a child with within the next five years? So he had decided to move his plans forward by several years. This year he wasn't going to waste his time studying extra hard or chasing girls, instead, he would be planning his - and the Black family - rise to power.

Seeing as it was getting late into the morning, Antares closed his eyes and relaxed into the soft embrace that was his bed. Yet just as he was on the brink of falling asleep, when he thought he heard something that sounded suspiciously like footsteps coming from outside his door.

Sitting up, Antares listened for the sound again. This time he was sure he could hear footsteps, and they sounded like they were coming closer towards his room. Reaching towards his bedside table, Antares picked up his wand and grasped it loosely in his hand. Even though he was in the relatively safe confines of the Slytherin dorms, one could never be too careful when it came to personal safety.

It was when whoever was in the hall stopped outside his door and began to turn the handle that Antares had a sneaking suspicion of who was on the other side of the door. His wand, however, didn't leave his side.

His door slowly opened. At first, he wasn't able to see who it was because of the light, so he illuminated the room with a quick "Lumos".

"I thought it might've been you," said Antares to his visitor.

There, in the middle of his room and in the middle of the night, stood none other than his very good friend, Sophia Wilkes.

She was wearing her usual white mid-thigh dressing gown that was held together by a velvet sash, as well a very sultry look on her beautiful face.

Without saying a word Sophia untied the sash that was around her waist, before slowly – and seductively – removing the dressing gown altogether.

Antares eyes shined with lust as he watched one of his best friends disrobe before him, his manhood becoming aroused when he saw what Sophia was wearing underneath the robe.

Sophia's figure was positively gorgeous. Although Sophia had a very lithe figure, she had curves in all the right places. Her stomach, legs, arms and thigh were tight and toned to perfection and her breasts were a firm and perky C-cup. Yet it was her bum that Antares liked the most, it was round and full yet not outrageously so and fit wonderfully in the palms of his hand. Yet her body was only part of the equation, it was what she was wearing that made her all the more beautiful.

Sophia was wearing perhaps the sexiest piece of lingerie that he had ever laid eyes upon. Her breasts were covered by a black strapped bar that fitted her perfectly, and thin black panties that hugged her hips and perfect ass whilst also showing off her long beautiful legs. Her outfit was brought together by a black see-through mid-thigh camisole that had no sleeves and was tied at the front by a little black bow.

"Well. What are you waiting for?" she said, looking directly towards Antares, who up until this point hadn't managed to take his eyes off of her.

With that Antares pushed back his covers and scrambled out of bed. In what seemed like a second flat he had crossed the room and had captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

Antares forehead pressed gently against hers as he closed his eyes for a second, basking in the softness that was her lips. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her closer against him, getting a moan of approval from Sophia as her hands became lost in his hair. Parting his lips slightly, Antares slid his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking entrance to her mouth, which she of course accepted.

Antares's mouth drifted away from Sophia's mouth, his lips placing tiny kisses against her jawline and down to her throat. As he did this Sophia's hands drifted away from his hair and towards his chest, her fingernails scraping lightly against his muscled pecs as Antares began to make his way past her throat and towards her cleavage.

Deciding that things would be much more comfortable on the bed, Antares stopped what he was doing – much to the disappointment of Sophia – and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Walking towards his bed, Antares through her – gently he might add – onto the bed.

For a second Antares stopped what he was doing and gazed down at the beautiful women the lay before him. Sophia looked positively stunning as she lay upon his green and silver duvet, her beautiful tanned skin and magnificent figure looking positively radiant as she gazed back up at him, her bottom lip clenched between straight white teeth and her eyes practically begging him to make love to her.

"Oh, How I love my life," thought Antares before summoning his wand and cancelling the lighting charm he had placed upon the room. The room became pitch black and all that was to be heard for the next several hours was the rhythmic slapping of flesh against flesh and the low, throaty moans that would escape through their lips every now and again.


	7. Chaper 7

Antares awoke at roughly the crack of dawn, exactly as he had done for the past 5 years. Yet this time wasn't like every other time he could think of. For the first time in a very long time, he, Antares Black, had awoken to that of a slightly guilty conscious.

Sitting up in his overly luxurious bed, he gazed down to his right where he saw the very sexy, very nude, form of one of his closest friends laying right beside him. Pulling back the covers of his duvet, Antares swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up, his own nakedness also being on display for the world to see.

For a second he was mesmerized by the rhythmic beauty of watching Sophia's sleeping form. The way her pert breasts rose and fell with each breath was truly a sight to behold, one he had trouble turning away from. After he finally turned his gaze away from her magnificent assets, he quickly used a switching spell to transfer his workout clothes and shoes onto his body before covering up Sophia's exposed body and then opening his bedroom door.

Antares silently made his way through the cold and austere room space that was the Slytherin common room, the smouldering ashes of the previous night's fire being the only thing to illuminate his path.

In hardly any time at all he had traversed the familiar halls that were the Slytherin Dungeons, down through the entrance hall and past the great wooden doors that led to the grounds of the school.

Outside was significantly brighter than inside the castle, as well as significantly colder. So cold in fact that every time he exhaled, a foggy breath of air was soon to follow. The sun had yet to fully pass the Scottish mountains that encircled the Hogwarts grounds, as such the sky was filled with a dark blue hue that barely illuminated his path to his intended destination, the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch.

The Quidditch Pitch wasn't somewhere that one would expect to find Antares Black. For one, it was a widely known fact (within Hogwarts) that Antares thought the sport was mind-numbingly boring and a complete waste of one's time, and secondly, it was 6:00 O'clock in the morning for Merlin's sake. Yet unknown to the masses, the Quidditch pitch was one of his favourite places in the entire school (besides the beds of any willing witches that is).

It was on this large field of green grass and golden hoops that he was able to collect his thoughts and calm his mind, away from the prying eyes of his housemates. It was also a great place to undertake his rather intense exercise regime, which was the reason he was here now.

Taking off his heavy fur cloak and chucking it onto the frosted grass, Antares did some quick warm-up stretches before taking off at a brisk pace around the Quidditch Pitch.

Seeing as he was a pureblood wizard from a rich and distinguished family, one would think that he would see exercising as common and beneath him, yet this wasn't the case at all. In fact, Antares loved both exercising and eating healthily, knowing from experience that a strong and healthy body equalled even stronger magic.

Antares breathed heavily as his brisk jog turned into a fast-paced walk, his mind turning from focusing on his workout to more important matters. Matters concerning his regret about sleeping with the woman currently residing completely naked in his overly large, overly opulent king-size bed.

It wasn't the fact that he had slept with one of his best friends, he and Sophia had had a "Friends with Benefits" type of relationship since their 4th year. It was more to do with the fact that he hadn't told her about his Marriage Contract to Helena Greengrass before having sex with her, a fact that she most definitely would want to know.

But that wasn't that wasn't the only reason for his guilt. He was guiltier about the fact that he had basically cheated on his future wife.

He knew that he wasn't technically married to Helena for another few years, but that didn't mean he could just go around dishonouring her like he had just effectively done. It wasn't something a true gentleman would do, and he at least considered himself enough of a gentleman to uphold his side of their Marriage Contract.

He knew exactly why he hadn't told Sophia about the Marriage Contract before they had slept together last night, and he would shamelessly admit that it was for all the wrong reasons. He knew that it would have taken less than 5 minutes to explain his situation to her, which would have saved him from the slight guilt trip that he was currently experiencing.

Antares knew that deep down he was somewhat of a selfish person, and he also knew that if he had told her that he was contracted to marry Helena Greengrass after she had so boldly walked into his room wearing hardly anything at all, that she would more than likely just turn around and leave.

Finding out about his marriage contract to Helena Greengrass had put quite the damper on his summer activities, activities that he used to relax and recuperate after a long and stressful year.

Usually, these activities consisted of, reading old tomes on Archaic magic, practising his wandwork, lounging on his family's private beach in France, partying with friends and occupying the beds of his various paramours.

Seeing as he had hardly got to do any of these things because of his ill-tempered state regarding the news of his Marriage Contract, it was a very tense and sexually frustrated Antares that had returned to Hogwarts for his sixth year of schooling. So when he had been gifted with an opportunity to take out some of these frustrations, he had given in to his more selfish instincts and not said anything to Sophia about his current situation.

Pushing these thoughts from his mind, Antares stepped up his pace until he was all but sprinting around the Quidditch Pitch. It was only when both his legs began to ache and his white workout shirt was covered in sweat, that he decided to make his way back inside and get ready for the day ahead.

Upon returning to the Slytherin common room, Antares was surprised to see that only 3 people (all of them first years by the looks of it) were currently awake and ready for classes. Casting a quick Tempus, he saw that it was only 7:00, meaning he had two hours before his classes started.

Passing his fellow housemates without a second glance, Antares made his way down the dimly lit hall to where his dorm room was located.

Opening his door and quietly closing it behind him, Antares was met with the very peculiar site of an empty bed.

At first, he thought that she had perhaps gone down to breakfast but then realized that breakfast wouldn't be served for at least another half hour. He then thought that perhaps she had decided to leave early in order to not be seen by any of their classmates, their intimate relationship being a highly guarded secret.

Both of his thoughts were quickly dismissed when he heard the unmistakable sound of running water coming from the direction of his bathroom.

Antares, let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. For the briefest of moments, he had thought that perhaps she had left, not wanting to deal with the sometimes awkward conversations that resulted after they had engaged in sexual activities.

Taking off his thick woollen cloak and throwing it onto his bed, Antares stripped down to the buff before walking over to the ensuite and opening the door. A thick mist of steam escaping the room as he did so.

* * *

 

Inside was what one would expect an expensive bathroom to look like. The room was roughly 2 meters by 2 meters in length, with the floor and walls made out of white and black marble tiles. The room was richly decorated with several mirrors, a toilet, spa, sink and shower. The shower took up the back right-hand corner, had a large glass door and could easily fit at least 3 people. It also happened to be magical. The water magically pouring down from the roof and disappearing as soon as it touched the floor.

It was who was in the shower that really captured his attention though. From his position by the door, he could easily see Sophia's back as she showered, her beautiful nude body looking magnificent as magically created water cascaded over her.

Walking forward, Antares opened the large glass door and stepped into the shower.

"How's it going gorgeous," he asked Sophia as he slid into the shower beside her.

"Much better now that you're here," she replied as she turned around, stepping closer towards him as she did so.

"How was your run?"

"Rather good if I do say so myself. I think I even managed to work out all of the aches and pains from last nights' activities" replied Antares with a smirk.

"I'll take that as compliment," Sophia said with a small smile of her own.

"It was meant as one" Antares replied as he stepped forward and captured her lips in a passionate kiss, his arms automatically snaking behind her to position themselves on her bountifully curved bum.

Sophia's armed wrapped around Antares waist as she deepened the kiss, her wet breasts pressing firmly against his muscled abdomen. For a long while, the two of them just stood there. Basking in each other's presence as the steaming water washed over them, their lips playing a gentle game of tug-of-war as their wandering hands began to explore the other's body, lingering longest on places of a more intimate nature.

"As much as I'd love to do this all day, and trust me I would," Antares said as he reluctantly removed himself from her embrace. "But I'd rather not have to explain to McGonagall as to why I didn't turn up to class on time".

Sophia sighed as she nodded, knowing that if they didn't leave soon that they wouldn't make it breakfast, let alone class, on time.

Pressing a rune on the shower wall, the magically created water came to a stop. As they stepped out of the shower and onto a large white mat (that was covered in runes), both of them stood completely still as an invisible wave of warm air blew up from the ground.

After they had both completely dried off and exited the bathroom, Antares got dressed in his school robes whilst Sophia put her dressing gown back on and quietly slipped out of his room.

After Sophia had left Antares took a seat on the edge of his bed. Lying down so that his feet were on the floor and his head was looking up at his ceiling, Antares reflected on his shower with Sophia as he waited for said person to return from getting dressed.

After his run this morning he had come to a decision regarding his and Sophia's rather intimate relationship.

Like all major decisions in his life, he had chosen one that would benefit him the most and affect him the least.

He had decided that seeing as he hadn't even met Helena, let alone spoke to her, that it meant he wasn't technically being unfaithful. If he had been intimate with another woman after the announcement had been made public and the courting had commenced, he could see how that could be seen as downright scandalous. Thankfully he had an entire week before the Courting began and the news would be announced to the world, something he wasn't particularly looking forward to.

It was this style of thinking that made him act the way he had whilst in the shower with Sophia. If he had one week left before he was going to be effectively tied down for the rest of his life, then he was going to make sure that he got to sample all the goods that Hogwarts had to offer before he wouldn't be able to.

Hearing a small knock on his door that he assumed was Sophia back from getting dressed, he stood up from his bed.

Scanning his room to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, Antares picked up his leather book bag and placed his wand in the inner pocket of his robe. His hand lingered on the door handle for a few seconds as he implemented his Occlumency shields, before opening it to reveal Sophia's smiling face. Smiling back at her Antares pulled out his wand and quickly cast an advanced locking charm on his bedroom door. Coincidentally, the spell he had just used was one of the first spells he had learned whilst at Hogwarts, his safety being at the height of his priority's.

"You looking forward to this year Antares?" asked Sophia as they descended the dimly lit hall side by side.

"Truthfully, I don't rightly know Soph" Antares replied after a moment of thought.

"I'm hoping that it will be the same as last year. You know, study hard to get good grades, hang out with the gang and just enjoy life. But a part of me feels that things are somehow going to be different this year. I just don't know exactly how or why".

Antares voice fell silent as they entered the common room, his mask slipping back into place as he spotted his friends in a corner by the fireplace. Walking over to greet them he wasn't able to catch the concerned look that Sophia was giving him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Antares rolled his eyes in boredom as he effortlessly swished his wand back and forth, making a silver goblet appear and then disappear before his eyes. Sometimes being ahead of the class wasn't always as fun as one would think.

Casually scanning the room from his position at the back of the class, Antares couldn't help but shake his head at his classmate's pathetic attempts at Conjuration. It would seem that Transfiguration wasn't meant for everyone.

Checking to his left and right where both Xavier and Sophia were seated beside him, he was glad to see that they had at least accomplished the task set to them by their aging Transfiguration professor. He never did like hanging around with incompetent people, it didn't reflect well on him as the Scion of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

Quietly waiting for the class to end, Antares pushed the thoughts of the Hufflepuffs complete ineptitude to perform basic magic out of his mind. He instead focused his attention back to breakfast an hour previous.

Breakfast had been a simple affair. He and his friends had arrived in the Great Hall at roughly 8:00, a time when all four tables were nearly at capacity and the entire room was bursting with conversation. He had sat on either side of Sophia and Caroline, with Xavier, Tristan, and Jasper sitting across the table from them.

The conversation topics were what one would expect from your average group of sixteen-year-olds. Revolving mostly around which classes each other were taking, their plans for the upcoming year, who was dating who, their opinions on the new DADA Professor and other sorts of unimportant questions.

He had then been interrupted from his breakfast of porridge and tea when his schedule for the year had made their way into his lap. Holding the parchment in one hand and his cup of tea in other, he had glanced down at his schedule and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Antares had internally smirked when he noticed that he coincidentally had Transfiguration first thing after breakfast, his joke earlier to Sophia being completely made in jest. Besides Transfiguration, he had double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the new professor and Arithmancy before dinner.

He was brought out of his musings about breakfast by the sound of a clearing throat. Raising his head, he was met with the stern face of Professor Minerva McGonagall.

"Mr Black, why are you not practising the assigned task?"

"I've completed it Professor" replied Antares.

"A demonstration if you wouldn't mind," she said, one eyebrow raised in an expression of clear disbelieve.

Picking up his wand from the desk and sitting upright in his chair, Antares cleared his throat and spoke the spell in a strong clear voice.

" _Scyphum Argenti Ignis"_

The whole class, including the professor, stopped what they were doing to stare in amazement as Antares' spell began to take form.

From out of thin air a large silver goblet had begun to take shape. It stood at roughly one and a half feet tall, had intricate serpent carvings all over its body and had the Black Family crest (three crows and a wand on a shield of red, blue and white) emblazoned upon its front. Yet it wasn't the beauty of the goblet that held everyone's attention. It was the intertwined silver and green flames that were spilling out of the top of it.

McGonagall couldn't help the slight smile that made its way onto her face as she began to applaud her student's display of Advanced Transfiguration. Conjuring two things at once was beyond even NEWT level classwork, she wondered when had he learned how to do such advanced magic.

"10 points to Slytherin, for an amazing display of Double Conjuration. However, if you find yourself ahead of my class again Mr Black, I trust that you will do something more productive with your time than sitting about daydreaming." She said to Antares once the commotion in the room had died down and the class had returned to work.

"Of course Professor. I shall refrain from doing so in the future" Antares replied as he vanished his goblet with a wave of his wand, before relaxing once more into his chair.

Internally he was grinning. It wasn't every day that he got to show off his magical prowess, opting to usually keep his skills to himself. Revealing one's full capabilities to potential enemies was never a smart move, one his father had often reminded him of.

"Show off" muttered a smirking Xavier from his quite used to his friend's dramatics by now.

"Jealous much?" Antares whispered back, his eyes lit with clear amusement.

"Hardly -"

Xavier's full response was cut off by the ringing of the school bell, signalling the end of their first class of the day.

"For those of you that were unable to complete the assigned task today, I'd like a foot of parchment on the properties of a Conjuration and the reason it is so difficult to master. To everyone else you are exempt from this week's homework assignment and are instead encouraged to keep on practising the spell with more difficult materials" called out McGonagall from 6the front of the classroom.

Following his classmate's example, Antares shoved his Transfiguration books into his bag and stood up from his chair.

Knowing that Sophia and Xavier's schedule may differ from his own, he asked them what class they had next whilst they exited the room together.

"DADA with Professor Graves," said Sophia.

"Same" replied Xavier and Antares in almost perfect unison, the two of them turning to grin at each other in amusement.

"I wonder if this new teacher will be any good or not. I hope he's at least better than Professor Smyth was last year" mused Xavier as the three of them made their way towards the DADA Classroom on the second floor.

"He couldn't possibly be any worse than Professor Smyth" replied Sophia. "Remember how he used to force us to literally copy the textbook word-for-word onto parchment instead of actually teaching us, absolutely pathetic in my opinion".

"What about you Antares?" asked Xavier of his best friend. "What do you think the new Professor will be like".

"We both know that my opinion hardly matters Xavier, seeing as we're about to find out," Antares said as they turned the corner and the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom came into view.

* * *

 

As Antares and his friends entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, they were surprised to see that nearly all of the desks had someone occupying them. Being the last students to arrive to class meant that they had to sit wherever there was a free desk. Unluckily for them, this happened to be at the very front of the class. A place where there was no privacy from the ever-watchful eyes of their professor.

There was a reason he and his friends usually arrived to class before everyone else. Sitting in the back row of the room gave them enough cover to whisper amongst themselves, a luxury that wasn't available at the front of the class.

Seeing as they had no other option, Antares, Sophia and Xavier quickly and quietly took their seats at the front of the room.

The DADA classroom was both big and spacious, perhaps the biggest classroom that Hogwarts had to offer. The room was rectangular in shape, measuring about 40 metres by 15 metres. In the middle of the room were rows upon rows of wooden desks, numbering at roughly around 40 or so. The front of the room was made up of the teachers much larger mahogany desk, overflowing with various pieces of parchments and teaching apparatus. Behind the desk was a blackboard (currently blank) that took up a large portion of the wall. The room was illuminated by 8 large glass windows on the left side of the room.

It wasn't the room that currently held Antares attention, though. He had been in this room hundreds of times over the past 6 years. What held his attention was the man sitting behind the large desk at the front of the room.

Having only barely seen the new professor at the Hogwarts opening feast, Antares took his time to carefully study the man that would be teaching him for the entire year.

Judging from how he was sitting he was able to tell that Nathaniel Graves wasn't a particularly tall man, standing at roughly around five and a half feet tall. If he had to guess Antares would have assumed that he was perhaps 45 to 50 years' old, Antares based this upon the frown lines that were beginning to line his face. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and an oddly crooked nose. He was of average build, not being portly nor particularly slim, and wore a pair of expensive looking day robes of a dark burgundy colour.

Antares had to cut his analysis short because the man he was analysing had gotten to his feet and walked to the front of his desk.

"Good morning and welcome students of Slytherin and Ravenclaw, to your first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of the year. My name is Professor Nathaniel Graves and I am to be your defence professor for the upcoming year" greeted Professor Graves, his clear voice carrying itself to the very corners of the room.

The entire class listened intently as the new professor introduced himself, all of them curious to see whether or not he was a teacher that could earn their respect.

Seeing that he had their undivided attention, Professor Graves continued to speak.

"Seeing as this our very first class together and I am currently unaware of where you each are academically; I propose a duelling competition to showcase your magical defence knowledge."

As the professor said this, the demeanour of the students changed dramatically. The entire class went from being respectfully quiet to heatedly animated with the span of a minute. The excitement quite clear on the grinning faces of every student present.

Antares was one of the grinning students. The professor's announcement that they would be duelling one another had captured his undivided attention. If there was one thing that he liked more than learning and developing his magic, it was showing it off to those less gifted than himself.

In all his years at Hogwarts he had never been able to showcase his fully magical ability to his classmates, and this time, wouldn't be any different. To showcase his full repertoire of magic on something as trivial as a sixth-year defence class would be a complete misuse of his magic. Showing just enough to upstage his fellow students, however, was something he was completely looking forward to.

"Quiet down everyone so I can tell you how this is going to work," called Professor Graves over the excited chatter that his earlier statement had caused.

"Seeing as we don't have all time in the world, the competition shall follow the style of a single elimination tournament. Meaning that once you lose a duel you are unable to compete for the rest of the competition. Last person standing at the end of the lesson shall receive a prize worthy of the effort".

The mention of a prize seemed to only add fuel to the fire as the class became animated once more. So much so that the professor had to wait several seconds before he continued to talk.

"Duelling partners will be randomly drawn from a hat for the sake of impartiality. When I call your name make sure you remember who you are paired with as the first set of duels will occur simultaneously".

As he finished speaking he waved his wand and conjured a large black bowler hat, which he then filled with several strips of parchment. Each strip containing the name of one of his students.

Placing his hand into the conjured hat he selected two pieces of parchment. Pulling his hand back he read out the first pair of duelling partners.

"Xavier Nott versus Elliott Holland" Professor Graves announced to the awaiting class in a loud, booming voice.

Hearing his friend's name Antares couldn't help the smirk that made its way onto his face. Whilst the Ravenclaw Prefect was no slouch when it came to magical knowledge he was less adept at actually performing said magic.

Xavier, on the other hand, was one of the strongest magic users in the school, second only to himself and perhaps the seventh year students. Antares had no doubt that this was Xavier's battle to win.

"Madison Clark versus Samuel Atkins" called out the professor after withdrawing two more pieces of parchment from the hat.

Antares expression became calculating as he tried to analyse this particular matchup. Madison and Samuel were about the same in terms of magical power and magical knowledge. He based this on overall performance in prior classes they had shared together. Seeing as he didn't exactly know the two of them, he could only assume that this duel would be a fairly even match-up that either one of them could win.

This pattern continued for several minutes. Professor Graves would announce the names of the two students duelling and Antares would silently predict who he thought was going to win. Some of the match-ups were easy to predict, others were quite evenly matched and others he didn't even know where to begin.

It was only after Sophia had just been matched up with Alicia Moore (an easy victory for Sophia in his opinion) that his name was finally drawn.

"Antares Black versus Helena Greengrass"

* * *

 

Antares sat frozen in his seat as he tried to process what he had just heard. Either his mind was playing tricks on him or the new defence professor had just read out his name, and the name of his betrothed.

Taking a deep breath in order to calm himself, Antares turned in his seat and discreetly scanned the room for his wife-to-be. He didn't have to search for very long.

Seated at the very back of the room and surrounded by a group of her Ravenclaw housemates was the unmistakable beauty that was Helena Greengrass.

He didn't know how he could possibly miss the fact that his future wife was sitting not 4 metres away from him. He assumed that in his haste to sit down he hadn't taken the time to actually see who his fellow defence classmate where. His position at the front of the room making it extremely difficult to look behind him without drawing unwanted attention to himself.

Focusing his attention back on Helena, Antares noticed that she had changed dramatically since he had last seen her at the end of his fifth year.

Helena stood at around 5 feet and a half feet tall and had a slim, statuesque figure. She had a pretty oval-shaped face, small rounded chin and cute straight-edged nose. She had wavy dark brown hair that started off very dark and got slightly lighter as it reached to just below her shoulder blades. It was her warm brown eyes and a large mesmerising smile that really accentuated her natural beauty.

If there was one thing he was grateful for in this entire Marriage Contract situation, it was that his father had chosen someone that was no doubt one of the most beautiful females in the entire school.

As Antares was subtly looking towards Helena, he noticed that she looked about as nervous as he felt.

Which was a great deal more now that he had found out that his future wife was selected as his duelling partner. He had to internally laugh at the irony of his situation. Out of the thirty-something students that were in the sixth year defence class, he had to be partnered up with the one person he wasn't even supposed to be in the same vicinity as.

Even without the fact that the courting forbade them from interacting with one another, Antares knew that there was no way in hell that he was ever going to stand against her.

Turning back around so that he was once more facing the front of the class, Antares thought about what he was going to do in order to get out of the situation he was currently in.

Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Antares waited until everyone was getting up and partnering up with their duelling partner before standing up and walking towards the professor's desk.

"May I have a word Professor?" Antares asked of his new defence professor.

Putting down the quill that he was writing with, Professor Graves looked up to see that one of his students was standing before him.

"Of course. What seems to be the problem Mr. –" replied the professor, purposefully cutting his sentence short since he didn't know who he was speaking to.

"Black. Antares Black" said Antares before continuing.

"I was wondering if I could be paired with someone else for the duelling competition"

"Do you have a valid reason as to why Miss Greengrass is an unworthy duelling partner Mr Black ?" asked Professor Graves with a puzzled look on his face.

Antares didn't see why he should divulge the information that he and Helena were to be betrothed. Especially to someone, he had literally just met. The fact that this person happened to be his professor had no bearing on the situation at all.

"Personal reasons mostly. We dated for a time and things didn't end very favourably" lied Antares expertly.

"Hardly a valid reason to not duel each other. In fact, it's probably more of a reason for the two of you to dual, get out that pre-relationship anger and what not." Professor Graves said jovially, clearly not taking his request as seriously as Antares had hoped.

"Now if that's your only reason for being up here, then I highly suggest that you make your way over to your assigned partner and begin your duel".

With that statement the middle-aged professor looked expectantly at Antares, obviously waiting for the teen to return to his seat.

Antares stood silently as his new professor denied his request to change his duelling partner. He guessed that his lie hadn't worked as he had originally intended, he would even go so far as to say it was perhaps the main reason his request hadn't been granted. Antares internally shrugged, the lie having been the best he could come up with on such short notice.

Knowing that duelling his betrothed was completely out of the question, Antares did the only sensible thing that he could think off.

He straightened his back, turned on his heel and walked towards the exit.

"Mr Black where do you think you're going" demanded Professor Graves, suddenly getting to his feet.

The whole room suddenly became deathly quiet. Every student in the room stopping what they were doing in order to see what all the commotion was about.

Not knowing how to respond to his professor's question, Antares just flat-out ignored him.

"If you take one more step, Mr. Black, you will be spending your evening in detention" Professor Graves called to Antares retreating form, his face slowly turning a violent shade of red.

Antares stopped abruptly, his hand resting on the door handle as he heard the professor's ultimatum.

The Professor's threat of detention was hardly a threat at all. If he was given the choice to protect his honour and that of his future wife in exchange for a day – hell even a month – of detention, then he would choose detention every single time.

Knowing that he couldn't appear intimidated in front of his peers, his friends and especially his betrothed, Antares straightened his back, turned the doorknob and exited the defence room without a backwards glance.

* * *

 

Antares was feeling quiet amused as he strode towards the Slytherin Dungeons, despite the eventful situation that had just occurred. Never, in all his years at Hogwarts, had he received a detention before.

One would assume that given who he was that he would have had been put into detention at least once or twice in his five years of schooling, but that wasn't the case. Had he done things deserving of detention over the last five years? Of course, he had. From sneaking out after dark, having sexual relations in various places throughout the castle and performing magic in the halls, Antares had done multiple things worthy of detention. But unlike his younger brother who couldn't pull of a simple prank without being caught, he was much better at not drawing unwanted attention to himself.

His amusement at his situation arose from the fact that his first ever detention wasn't due to him being caught doing something ('or someone' he internally smirked) that he shouldn't, but rather due to his refusal to duel off against his future wife.

His detention from Professor Graves was the reason that he was currently in the Slytherin Dungeons when he'd much rather be up in his dorm room reading or playing chess. He was heading down to see the Head of Slytherin House and resident Potions Master, Professor Horace Slughorn.

His decision to visit Slughorn wasn't made because he had an overwhelming desire to visit the aging professor, but rather one of convenience and self-servitude. Having never before experienced a detention at Hogwarts, Antares didn't plan on starting now.

He knew that his Head of House a very politically savvy individual. Somebody who could see the power and influence that his students would one day wield. Seeing as he would one day hold immense political and economic power, Antares knew that he held significant clout with his potions professor. It was this influence that he hoped to use in order to get out of Professor Graves detention.

After traversing the dimly lit dungeons for several minutes, he finally came to a stop outside the office door of his Head of House.

Schooling his features into a blank mask for what felt like the millionth time, Antares placed his Occlumency shields into full effect and knocked loudly upon the wooden door.

A muffled "Enter" was heard in reply.

Placing his hand on the large brass knob, Antares turned the handle, opened the door and entered the room.

Professor Slughorns office was exactly what one would expect from someone as pompous and grandiose as the elderly professor was. It was a fairly large room that contained a large fireplace with several beige leather sofas surrounding it. The overall colour scheme of the furniture, carpet and drapes consisted of various shades of gold, beige, burgundy and brown, and gave the room a look of gaudiness that Antares could never hope to achieve. A wooden desk and bookshelf were located on the left-hand wall, with an ornate liquor cabinet situated to the right of the room. A door was located at the back the room that Antares assumed led to the professors sleeping quarters.

Sitting at the wooden desk with a quill in one hand and a glass of amber liquid in the other, was the unmistakable form of Professor Horace Slughorn.

"Ahhh Antares my boy, how wonderful it is to see you" exclaimed Slughorn with a wide grin, placing his quill and glass down upon the desk.

"Afternoon Sir. I trust your holiday wasn't too adventurous," replied Antares, taking a seat on the leather sofa that was offered to him.

"You know me Antares, I enjoy the small luxuries in life. Eating deliciously decadent deserts and partaking in some rather expensive wine is all the adventure I need." chuckled Slughorn, his large jowl dancing merrily as he did so.

"What about your own holidays? What does the young Antares Black get up to when he is not locked away studying?" asked the Professor with a curious expression on his face.

"My holidays were quiet average, to say the least. Lots of political meeting and parties, press conferences and lessons from my father about managing our estate. Getting ready to take over my father's position in the future is hardly an enjoyable task. I know that I need to learn it all but it's quiet a tedious affair if you ask me" Antares said, telling the professor a very watered down version of his summer break without revealing any of his personal information.

Horace nodded his head in agreement, "But it is worth it, in the end, my dear boy, no matter how tedious and mind-numbingly boring it is. I myself had to endure the teachings of my father on the same subject over 80 years ago and I'm quiet glad that I did. To this day I still use the knowledge that he passed down to me when I was a young boy of sixteen."

Antares nodded along whilst internally cringing at the professor calling him 'dear boy'. He wasn't anybody's 'dear boy'. Even his mother and father didn't refer to him by such affectionate terms of endearment. If it was anybody else, he didn't think he would stand for such familiarity between himself and Slughorn. But his professor had a vast political network that was too valuable to ignore. So he kept a straight face and acted as if the bumbling old man was actually worth his time and effort, even if dealing with the man was mentally draining. As long as Slughorn continued to be a useful asset, then he would continue to suffer the man's presence.

Not wanting to spend longer than necessary in the old man's presence, Antares brought up the real reason he had come to visit his Head of House.

"I guess you would know better than I professor, you being a distinguished wizard with a strong political career. But as much as I would love to sit around and discuss such captivating topics with your fine self, I'm afraid that my visit is a bit more serious is nature" admitted Antares.

"What seems to be the problem Antares? You're not in any kind of legal trouble are you" asked Slughorn, his demeanour changing from jovial to serious.

"No, No, nothing quiet as serious as that" Antares hastily replied.

"I've been given detention by the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and thought that as you're my Head of House that you may be able to land me a helping hand in the matter".

Slughorn visibly relaxed as he was told that Antares presence wasn't due to anything illegal. He did, however, have a surprised look on his face once he learned that one of his favourite students had received a detention.

"That seems very unlike you Antares. What could have possibly happened for you to receive a detention, and on the first day of class no less?" inquired a mystified Slughorn.

Now, this was where things got a bit tricky for Antares. Did he disclose the real reason he had received the detention or did he make up some lie to hide his marriage contract from the professor?

"Well, the first class I had this morning was Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Graves. Him being the new professor, he wanted all of us to showcase our duelling skills. Naturally, he had us get into pairs, but when my partner was announced I refused to duel against them. I told the professor that I didn't want to face off against my partner and when he tried to force me I turned around and left" recounted Antares honestly.

"Was there a specific reason that you didn't want to face off against your opponent? It isn't like you to back out of a challenge" asked Slughorn.

"Of course there is. If it was anybody else, I would have no reservations about showcasing my abilities to the new professor. But even I'm not as cold-hearted to bring myself to duel off against my future wife"

Slughorns eyes widened comically as Antares revealed his betrothal. Several moments passed before the professor regained his composure, standing up and shaking his hand vigorously.

"A guess congratulations are in order, my dear boy. Who shall the future Lady Black be, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Slughorn as he walked over towards his liquor cabinet.

"Helena Greengrass" replied Antares with a small grin.

"Simply wonderful my boy, Miss Greengrass is quiet the catch. She comes from a good pureblood family, is an excellent student and extremely beautiful. But I'm sure you know all of this already. I take it you are quiet happy with the decision?" commented Slughorn, returning from his liquor cabinet with two glasses of brandy.

"I am, all things considered. I think she and I will make quiet a good couple, if I do say so myself" said Antares, accepting the class that Slughorn offered him.

"Nobody else knows about my betrothal as of yet. I trust that this information will remain between the two of us"

"Of course, Of course" promised Slughorn. "You don't get to be the Head of Slytherin House for 50 years without knowing how to keep a few secrets."

"I propose a toast," said Slughorn, raising his glass in the air.

"To Antares Black, and his beautiful wife-to-be. May their love marriage be a happy one and their family names last forever".

Following Slughorns lead, Antares raised his glass into the air as well. When the professor's mini-toast ended, they both raised a glass to their lips and downed their entire glass.

"Now," said Slughorn, "about your little detention problem. You leave it with me and I'll try my best to get you out of an official detention. You may need to do some sort of punishment, but I'll try and reason with Professor Graves so it shouldn't be anything too difficult".

"Thank-you sir. The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black won't forget this. I'll make sure you receive an invitation to the Black Family Gala at Christmas. It's the least I could do for the help and guidance you have given to me over the last 6 years" said Antares, making sure to stroke the professor's ego as much as he could.

"It's no trouble at all my dear boy. Making sure promising young wizards like yourself follow the right path in life is what a proper mentor is supposed to do." said the now blushing Professor, clearing loving the praise that he was currently receiving.

"Well, I suppose I better head down to the great hall, lest I be late for lunch. Thanks again professor for the brandy and the company, and especially for the help with my detention situation" said Antares with a sullen expression, making sure to look very reluctant to leave the professors company.

"It was no trouble at all Antares. I too enjoyed our conversation today. I shall update you tomorrow about your punishment in place of your detention" replied Slughorn, taking the empty glass from Antares outstretched hands.

Bidding his Head of House one last goodbye, Antares turned on his heels and left the potions professors office, his lips pulled into a devilish smirk.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning saw Antares rise once again at the crack of dawn. But what was unique about this morning was that it was with great reluctance that Antares rose from his bed.

Today would mark the begging of the two-month-long Courting ceremony between himself and Helena Greengrass.

It wasn't this alone that made him want to crawl under his duvet and never come out. It was the fact that today would be the day that everyone would find out about his betrothal contract with Helena. Not only would all of his friends, peers and professors know about his betrothal, but also the entirety of the Wizarding World.

Antares couldn't care about the opinion of those he didn't know, but those he did was a different story altogether. He was especially worried about how Sophia was going to react to this particular piece of news. Not kindly, was Antares's first thought.

His friends had re-acted fairly well last night when he had told them that he couldn't tell them the reason that he had received his detention. They were his friends and they trusted his opinion. However, he didn't believe that the news about his marriage contract would blow over as easily as that had done. They would rather hear it from him than from another source, which was why he was planning on telling them all about it at breakfast before the morning news arrived.

Knowing that he was only delaying the inevitable, Antares slowly rose from his bed.

Grabbing his wand from his bedside table, Antares quickly changed into his workout clothes with the flick of the wrist. Making sure he had everything he needed for the upcoming courting, he grabbed his book bag from the end of his bed, donned his favourite cloak and exited his dormitory.

After silently walking through the dark and desolate common room and out passed the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, where he then proceeded to make his way down to the Quidditch pitch for his morning exercise.

Outside was the usual weather for this time of the morning in Scotland, mostly wet and cold with the sun hiding safely behind the various mountains that surrounded Hogwarts.

Placing his bag on one of the seats, he took off his cloak and placed it on top of his bag. Antares took a few moments to stretch before he took off at a brisk pace around the frosted field.

An hour and a half passed as he continued to run laps around the Quidditch pitch, pushing his body to the absolute limit as he tried to forget about his day ahead. By the time he was finished, he was gasping for breath and drenched from head-to-toe in sweat.

 _"_ _Tempus"_ cast Antares after picking up his wand from within his robe.

When his spell revealed that it was already quarter to eight, Antares quickly chucked on his robe, put his wand in his inner pocket and slung his bag over his should. He then set off at a brisk pace, but not in the direction of the castle. His next destination was the Owlery.

It didn't take long before Antares had crossed the grounds from the Quidditch pitch towards the west tower of Hogwarts, where the Owlery was located.

The Hogwarts Owlery was a large circular tower that was made out of roughly carved stone. A rough dirt footpath led to up to the base of the tower. It had windows with no glass in them so that the owls could come and go freely and played home to over 400 owls.

Walking up the dirt path, Antares stood at the base of the Owlery. There was no door to the building so he just entered and began to climb the circular stairs to the top. Walls upon walls of owls could be seen as he made his way towards the top. Barn Owls, Eagle Owls, Grey Owls, Tawny Owls and Brown Owls of all shapes and size lined the walls of the circular building.

When he got to the top he had to place a hand over his face to stop the intense smell of owl shit from making him gag. The floor was covered in what looked like three inches of owl shit, dried grass and the carcasses of various dead animals.

Withdrawing his wand, he quickly cast a banishing charm on the excrement and other foul-smelling things in the room. He then cast an air freshening charm that made the whole room smell like vanilla.

Seeing as that problem was solved, he looked around the large circular room to find his personal owl. Not seeing him anywhere amongst the several dozens that were located at the top of the tower, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled a specific tune very loudly.

Within moments a large black owl came soaring through one of the open windows, circling the room a few times before landing on Antares' outstretched arm.

"It's been too long, Aquila" murmured Antares as he stroked his owl's feathers.

Aquila had been a gift from his family when he had received his Hogwarts letter. He was a completely black eagle owl that had piercing gold eyes and a very sharp curved beak. A chain hung around his neck with two metal tags on it, one with his name and registration number, and the other was the black family crest.

Putting his free hand in his robe pocket, Antares pulled out a black envelope and a magically shrunken package.

"I've got a task for you old friend. I need you to bring this to the great hall in about 30 minutes. Can you do that for me?" asked Antares of his faithful companion.

Aquila nodded his head in the affirmative, nipping his owner's finger affectionately.

"Looks like somebody's getting extra mice tomorrow," said Antares as he tied the packages to Aquila's outstretched leg.

Once everything was done, he walked Aquila to an empty perch on the wall and placed him upon it.

Giving his faithful pet one last scratch behind the ears, Antares began to descend the stairs. 'Breakfast is going to be an interesting affair' thought Antares as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs and set off towards the castle.

* * *

 

Antares ate his breakfast in silence as he sat at the Slytherin house table. He was internally very nervous at what was about to happen within the next ten minutes. To his left sat his best friend Xavier Nott, and on his right sat Caroline Parkinson. Tristan and Jasper sat across from them, enjoying their hearty English breakfast. Sophia was nowhere to be seen.

Antares had no idea where his female best friend was. Having come straight to breakfast from the Owlery he had no way of knowing if she was still in her dorm or not. The others hadn't heard from her either.

"I have an announcement to make" declared Antares his friends, placing his knife and fork down upon his empty plate.

They turned to him with eyebrows raised. It was very unlike Antares to announce to them that he had something to say. He would usually just come outright and say what he was thinking.

"Over the holidays my father visited me in my bedroom. He informed me that he had something to tell me that would change my life dramatically. He informed me that he and my mother had seen fit to enter me into a . . . marriage contract"

His friends (minus Jasper) all had looks of extreme shock written across their faces. They all looked like they wanted to ask him various questions, yet it was Caroline who was first to break the silence.

"Well don't keep us in suspense. Tell us who the future Lady Black is going to be"

"Helena Greengrass from Ravenclaw" replied Antares.

"She's quite the looker Antares. At least you have that going for you" commented Tristan with a cheeky grin.

"How do you feel about all of this Ares?" asked Xavier, using his friend's nickname for the first time in ages.

"Truthfully, I don't rightly know. I think that I've come to terms with it over the last few weeks, but only time will tell" replied Antares to his friend with a small smile, knowing that his best friend was only looking out for his interests.

"Have you told Sophia yet?" Caroline asked as she took a sip of her coffee, "She has the right to know that you are promised to another. You owe her that much at least.".

"I have not" admitted Antares in a small voice, "I was hoping she was here so that I could tell all of you at once. Perhaps it is better that she isn't here so that I can talk to her about it in private".

"I suspect that your family is doing things the traditional way. When does the Courting ceremony begin?" asked Jasper, who up until this point had remained silent.

"Today actually. By my calculations Aquila should be delivering the first gift to the Ravenclaw table any minute now" replied Antares.

As if by some form of divine intervention, seconds after Antares had finished speaking,  hundreds of owls, flew through the open windows and into the great all. All of them carrying parcels and newspapers of various shapes and sizes.

Antares (and his friends) attention turned towards the Ravenclaw table, where Aquila could be seen landing right beside Helena Greengrass.

**Helena's POV**

Helena Greengrass had been having a rather pleasant time enjoying the peace and quiet (most of her housemates were already occupying the library) when her breakfast had been interrupted by a black eagle owl landing right beside her.

The eagle owl bowed its head towards her, before sticking out its left leg where a black letter and a parcel where attached.

"Is that for me?" Helena asked of the bird with a puzzled expression on her face.

Aquila nodded his head.

Placing her knife and fork down, she stroked the owl behind the ear before untying both the letter and gift from the owl's leg.

Seeing as his job was done, Aquila grabbed a piece of bacon from Helena's plate with his beak and flew off towards the exit along with the other owls.

Moving her plate to the side, she placed the gift and letter in front of her. She decided to read the letter first so that she could find out who the gift and letter were from. Picking up the black envelope, she marvelled at the beauty and simplicity of it. The envelope was a rich black colour made of a thick card-like parchment that had her name written elegantly in silver ink. Turning it over revealed who the sender was.

The Black Family crest (three black ravens, a flexed arm wielding a wand and the words 'toujurs pur' upon a shield of red, blue and white) was embossed upon silver candle wax, holding the envelope closed from prying eyes.

Helena's heart began to beat faster and a light blush rose to her cheeks as she realised what the contents of the letter most likely contained.

With slightly trembling fingers she broke the wax seal and opened the envelope. Inside contained a single sheet of thick white parchment that was folded in two.

Placing the envelope off to the side, she opened the folded parchment.

Written in silver ink was half a page of beautifully written handwriting. The writing curled this way and that in an effortless display of penmanship and stayed in neat straight lines despite the lack of ruled lines.

Yet the writing whilst beautiful wasn't what she was interested in. It was the meaning behind the words that she really wanted to hear. So she composed herself and began to read.

_Dear Lady Greengrass,_

_May I say that I am truly sorry that you have found yourself in such a situation due to the machinations of our parents. I am unaware if you knew about our arranged marriage before the summer holidays, or that you agreed to it, but I can assure you that I did not. When my father informed me that he and my mother had entered me into a marriage contract with yourself I was quiet taken aback. Growing up in a traditional pureblood home I knew it was a distinct possibility that I may one day be entered into a marriage contract, but until recently I had never thought that it would actually come to pass. Over the last few weeks, I have come to terms with the fact that you and I will one day raise a family together. I hope that you too have thought about this as long and hard as I have. If we are to be forced together because our magic and by extension our life depends on it, then I want to give our relationship all the dedication it deserves. I don't want to wake up in 80 years from now as a vindictive old man because we didn't give it our best to fall in love with one another. What I'm saying is that I am willing to give us a chance if you are willing to do the same. I want to spend the rest of my life with someone I love and someone who loves me in return, and I hope that person will one day be you. Seeing as we haven't exactly met, let me be the first to introduce myself. My name is Antares Orion Black. I am 16 years old and am a pureblood wizard. I enjoy reading, exercising and hunting. My friends and family are the most important thing in my life, one thing I despise is tomatoes. I know that courting is a not usually undertaken in modern times but my family believed that it would help us get to know one another. As such I will be unable to see or speak to you for at least a month, I hope this doesn't displease you and that you will send me a response whenever I owl you, this way we can get to know each other and hopefully bond before the courting comes to a close. Attached to this letter is the first gift of many, I hope that you find it worthy enough for someone as beautiful as you._

_Eagerly awaiting your reply,_

_Antares Orion Black_

A single tear rolled down Helena's bright red face as Antares letter came to a close, the beauty of it surprising her beyond belief. Turning towards the Slytherin table she saw that her future husband was carefully watching her reaction to his letter. As she turned to his direction her warm brown eyes locked with his intelligent grey ones, and for the briefest of moments they each shared a small smile that even they didn't know the meaning of.

Antares nodded to her before turning his attention back to his friends. It was at this moment that all the stress and anxiety from the previous two weeks was suddenly lifted from her shoulders. Gone was the fear that her husband was going to be someone that didn't even want to bother with her. Gone was the fear that she was going to live a loveless marriage of depression and despair. And all it had taken to waylay her fears was a lovely worded letter and a charming smile from a handsome boy across the hall.

Smiling brightly to herself she wiped her cheeks with the corner of her robes before turning her attention to the small package that had remained forgotten until now.

The package was roughly 8 inches in length and two inches wide, rectangular in shape and wrapped up in fine silver wrapping paper. After tearing the paper from the rectangular box, she was greeted with a dark blue box.

Lifting the top half of the box from the bottom half, she gasped loudly at what she saw.

A mesmerising quill of silver, black and green and topped with a gold tip lay inside. It wasn't just any old pretty quill with a gold tip though. The special thing about it, and the reason she had gasped was the fact that the quill was made from the tale of the very rare Irish Phoenix, more commonly known as the Augurey. The inquisitive side of her wanted to know how Antares had procured such an item but later reminded herself that most Blacks had more gold than sense.

Knowing that her future husband would most likely want a response as fast as possible, she packed up her new quill, grabbed her letter and book bag and made her way in the direction of her common room. A large smile on her pretty face present the entire way.

* * *

 

**Lily's POV**

Lily's eyes roamed the length of the Slytherin table as she sat amongst her friends at the Gryffindor table, searching the many students clad in silver and green for a certain individual. She

Ever since their conversation on the Hogwarts Express she had been looking forward to her tutoring lessons with the eldest Black. He was all she could think about since her arrival back at Hogwarts.

From the start of her third year, she had developed a slight crush on the heir to Black Family. He had all the characteristics of his younger brother Sirius, yet was studious, smart, intelligent, incredibly good looking and least of all mature.

In the two years that had passed since they had first met outside the Transfiguration corridor, they hadn't spoken more than a word to each other. Being a year apart age wise and in two completely different houses meant there wasn't much need for them to interact with one another.

She didn't know if what she felt for him was love or lust. But she was certain that whatever her feelings were, Antares didn't feel the same way.

She knew that if they could just spend some time alone together then she could really get to know Antares for who he was and not for who he appeared to be. His act on the train hadn't fooled her one for a second. She knew that beneath the tough guy, pureblood-mania exterior that he projected to the world, he wasn't as bad as he portrayed himself to be.

It was for this reason that she had lied to him about needing his help with her Arithmancy homework. She had used the excuse of needing his help so that they would she could spend some time alone with the eldest black, free from the prying eyes of either of their friends and housemates.

Thinking about Antares, Lily's eyes lit up as her crush finally entered the great hall, followed closely by his entourage of pureblood fanatics. Sophia Wilkes absence didn't go unnoticed.

For the rest of breakfast, she continued to keep an eye on the Slytherin table. She noticed how Antares only ate fruit and porridge and avoided any of the fried and processed foods. She noticed the way he interacted with his friends. How his smile or grin actually reached his eyes, unlike the fake smile he usually wore in the presence of others. But most of all she noticed how every so often his eyes would look towards the sky before turning back in the direction of his friends.

It wasn't until the mail owls descended into the great hall that she found out what he was keeping an eye on. A large midnight black eagle-owl with a black envelope and small package attached to its leg had just entered the great hall with hundreds of other owls, it's amongst the many others that littered the sky.

The beautiful owl didn't landed beside Antares at the Slytherin table as she had thought it would, but instead had glided down to sit beside Helena Greengrass at the Ravenclaw table.

Aquila wasn't the only one who had gained Lily's attention though. The Half-bloods and Purebloods of the room had obviously recognised the significance of the black envelope and package that Aquila was carrying. Within seconds the Great Hall was filled with hushed conversation, with the most common pressing question being the identity of the sender.

Not understanding what all the commotion was about, she decided to ask someone who would.

"What's with all the commotion? Why is everyone so worked up over an envelope?"

"That isn't just any old envelope -" replied Sirius through a mouthful of bacon, "It's a courting envelope".

"A what envelope," asked a confused Lily as she turned to face him.

"A courting envelope" interjected James Potter from beside Sirius.

Seeing that she still looked confused, James decided to elaborate.

"It's an ancient pureblood tradition dating back to the 13th century. It's hardly used in today's society but there are still some families that do practice the old ways"

"When a witch and wizard are entered into a marriage contract, they usually undertake something known as a courting. The courting is a month-long period that is used to show the world that the wizard is a fit match for his betrothed. The groom-to-be is expected to shower his betrothed with various gifts, heroic deeds-of-valour and other declarations of devotion. That black envelope that everyone is discussing signals the first day of a courting" explained James as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice, smiling at his crush from behind his goblet.

"I wonder who it's from" replied Lily, now very curious about all of this courting business. Even after five years of being in the wizarding world, some things still managed to surprise and confuse, her. This new information definitely deserved a visit to the library. No doubt Potter had only given her a very brief overview on the subject.

"Oh that's easy, It's from my brother," said Sirius nonchalantly, before helping himself to his second helping of eggs and bacon.

"Oh," said Lily, a look of shock covered her features.

"Yeah. Happened over the summer hols. Helena's gorgeous, there's no doubt about that" Sirius rambled on, "but I'm honestly glad it isn't me who has to get married, have children and all that other bloody nonsense, - ".

Lily didn't hear any more of what Sirius said as she had risen from her seat, grabbed her things and ran off towards the direction of the Great Halls exit, leaving a stunned Sirius and James in her wake.

A million thoughts ran through her mind as she hugged her book bag to her chest, climbing the stairs of the castle two at a time.

It wasn't until she had lost herself in a corridor on the sixth floor that she finally stopped running and collapsed against the stone wall, her slim body sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek, and within minutes her slim body was racked with sobs as she began to cry.

It was here that she spent most of her day, silent and deep in thought as she realized that everything she had wanted would never come to pass. And so she cried. She cried until her throat was sore and her eyes were red and bloodshot. She cried until she couldn't cry any more, and when that finally happened the day had already passed and dinner was just about to begin.

* * *

 

**Normal POV**

"ugh, just what I needed" mumbled Antares as he finished reading Professor Slughorns note.

' _\- as such I have managed to work your punishment down to covering another student's prefect duties. Please make sure to meet Ms Evans in the Great Hall at precisely 9:30 PM tomorrow for patrol duty.'_

After he had shared his intimate moment with Helena and watched her gorgeous bum make its way from the Great Hall, he had returned his attention back to his own table, where Xavier was holding out his prefect schedule for the year.

It was with his prefect schedule that he had received Professor Slughorns note regarding his punishment for getting out of his detention with Professor Graves.

It was suspiciously uncanny how he was partnered with the one prefect he didn't want to be partnered with. Especially at a time when his life was beginning to get increasingly stressful. Knowing that thinking about the problem only made his mood miserable, he decided to try and avoid thinking about how awkward tomorrow's patrol was going to be.

Seeing his friends begin to stand up and get ready to leave for class, Antares swigged down the last of his tea and followed suit.

"Who's got Ancient Runes with Gibbs?" he asked his friends as they walked towards the hall's exit.

"Just you and me old friend, the others all have Care of Magical Creatures" replied Xavier, shooting Antares a grin as Caroline, Jasper and Tristan waved goodbye and turned towards the entrance hall.

"Just like the old times huh Xav, just you and me against the world," said Antares, returning the grin with one of his own.

For a while, the both of them walked in a comfortable silence. Neither of them saying anything as they climbed the ever-changing staircases of Hogwarts.

"So, a marriage contract huh" commented Xavier after a while, "Bloody hell Ares".

"I know Xav, I know. But it was hardly my decision to make" returned Antares.

"I guess you're right" agreed Xavier.

Being a pureblood heir himself he knew that if Antares' parents wanted him to marry someone, then there was basically nothing that he could do in order to stop them. He was just grateful that his parents hadn't done the same to him.

"I thought you would have told me about it before the others at least, me being your best friend and all".

"Look Xav -" said Antares, coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sixth-floor corridor.

"You've been my best friend for most of my life. We've been through thick and thin together and you've had my back more times than I can count. After everything we've been through, I count you as a brother in the same way that Sirius and Regulus are my actual brothers. I didn't tell you, or anyone else for that matter, because I myself haven't completely come to terms that my future has been set for me. Hell, I haven't even told Sophia yet and me and her share everything together, if you know what I mean" Antares confessed honestly to his oldest and dearest friend.

Xavier stood dumbfounded as Antares referred to him as family. For all the time that he had known Antares, he had never before seen him express his emotions with such honesty and straightforwardness. He had always known Antares feelings about him, as he too felt the same way. He wasn't talking about homosexual or any other type of romantic feelings, but rather feelings of trust and companionship that neither of them had felt whilst growing up in their parent's households. He guessed that this marriage contract ordeal was effecting Antares more than he let on. So Xavier did something he hadn't done since they were children, he embraced his best friend in a large hug.

"Thank you, Antares, for everything" whispered Xavier into Antares's shoulder.

"No problem Xav," laughed Antares, "now remove yourself before someone see's us and mistakes us for a couple of queers".

Xavier quickly jumped back, a large smile on his face.

"Now let's hurry up before we're late for class," said Antares as he set off towards the Ancient Runes classroom.

Xavier just stood there grinning stupidly to himself for several moments. When he finally realised that Antares was already halfway up the corridor, he took off after him at a very fast pace.

_**Slytherin Dorms, Hogwarts (Tuesday 2** _ _**nd** _ _**of September, 1974)** _

Antares entered the Slytherin Common room to the sound of silence. It wasn't that the common room was empty, in fact, it was quite the opposite. It was more to the fact that everyone's conversation had abruptly stopped the moment he had entered the room.

Being the intelligent man that he was, Antares assumed that this was due to one of two things. Either everything in the world revolved around him and his housemates were showcasing their submissive nature by being silent, or they were being quiet because he was somehow in trouble and they were giving him their one-minute of silence early.

When he spotted a clearly enraged Sophia Wilkes charging towards him, he somehow knew it was the latter.

Sophia didn't say anything as she grabbed him by the arm and begun to literally drag him towards his room. Antares looked at his housemates for some type of help but all he received were blank stares and shrugged shoulders.

Having a rough idea what Sophia wanted to discuss Antares didn't offer much resistance as he was forcibly removed from the common room, dragged down the corridor and roughly shoved into Sophia's' bedroom.

"What the hell Black!" shouted Sophia angrily as soon as she had closed the door.

"I didn't want this Sophia," said Antares, "Don't make me out to be the guilty party here. You know our customs as well as any of us. It was beyond my control and you know it".

"Like fuck it is. You could have done something! Anything!" she screamed at him loudly, "If you didn't want this than you would have found a way around it. But you didn't. You probably didn't even give it a second thought before you signed your life away."

"What was I to do Sophia!" shouted Antares, anger creeping into his voice.

"Was I to refuse my father's orders, to be cast from my family and everything I know. All because they choose who I am to spend the rest of my life with and I did not. I would never betray my family like that. Not for you. Not for anyone."

Sophia's face lost its angry expression as she realized what Antares said was true. In her anger induced state she had forgotten that until he turned 17, his parents had full control over any legal matters that concerned him. She also knew that his family, and his family's reputation, meant the world to him. She knew that he would never do anything that would make his family look bad in the eyes of the wizarding world, even if that meant sacrificing his own happiness.

"I thought we had something special Antares. That we were friends. That our nights together meant more to you than just a casual fuck. Apparently, I was wrong" said Sophia in a quiet voice.

Antares heart broke as he heard the hurt in her voice. To see one of his dearest friends in such emotional pain was a hard thing to witness. But to be the cause of her pain was making him sick to his stomach.

Sophia had been his good friend for many years. She, like Xavier, had been with him through the thick and thin. Never once complaining. Never once questioning his leadership when he got them into a particularly sticky situation. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be treated second best because a contract stipulated they would never be together. He needed to fix this, and fast. He needed to make things right. If not for his sake, then for Sophia's. He owed her that much at the very least.

"We do have something special Soph" he whispered, taking a step forward and grasping her small delicate hand in his own.

"You mean more to me then you could ever possibly know. Sure our arrangement of casual sex was an added bonus, but after the first few times, I knew our relationship was deeper than a sex. Your one of the only people in the world who knows me, and I mean actually know me. Not the façade version that I portray to the rest of the wizarding world. With you, I don't have to worry about hiding who I am. I don't have to worry about acting like the perfect pureblood heir all the time. With you, I can be the real me. The me that enjoys your soft embrace and warm smile. The me that wakes up next to you in the morning and tries to remember how I met someone as perfect as you. Yet despite my feelings, I can't change the fact that I am to be married to Helena Greengrass. Do I love her? No. Do I like the fact that she is to be my wife? Of course not. Would I prefer it was your name on the marriage contract and not hers? Of course, I would. And it kills me inside to see you hurting when I know that there's nothing I can do to make your pain go away. So I'm sorry Sophia. I'm sorry for anything I ever did or ever said to make the smile fall from your face. I'm sorry that I'm the reason for your pain. But most of all I'm sorry that you broke my heart without even meaning to".

As he said this Antares' voice became thick with raw emotion, for everything he was saying was true. Only now, when he was laying everything on the table, did he realize that he had developed feelings for his best friend. Up until this point he had never actually considered his feelings for his female best friend. For everything, he had said to her was one hundred percent true. It amazed him how someone as smart as him hadn't seen what was right in front of him all along.

"You really mean it, don't you?" said Sophia as tears began to roll down her cheeks as Antares poured his heart out to her.

"Of course"

His response seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. As the words left his lips Antares found himself with a lap full of sobbing women. For what seemed like an age he held her close to him, hugging her, comforting her. Doing whatever he could to console the woman that would never be his. It wasn't until his legs were numb and aching that he realised that she had fallen asleep in his lap.

Lifting her up slowly, Antares helped her over to her bed. He tucked her in gently before placing a kiss atop her sleeping head. Smiling sadly down at her, he turned off her light with a flick of his wand and exited her bedroom.

_**Antares Bedroom, Slytherin Dorms** _

Antares sighed heavily as he finally crawled into his bed. The day had been one long and emotional day. Never before had he felt both physically and mentally drained for no other reason than having to engage in awkward talks and exhausting conversations. Now that practically the whole school knew about his marriage contract to Helena Greengrass, he could only hope that tomorrow everything went back to the way it was.

Staring up at the ceiling, Antares thought about his conversation with Sophia. Although he had finally realized his feelings for Sophia, it hadn't changed anything where his marriage contract was concerned. He would still have to marry Helena and there was nothing he could do about it.

Knowing that his feelings for Sophia needed to be thought about when he had a clear mind, he implemented his Occlumency skills to bury his thoughts relating to his best friend until a time where he wasn't drop-dead tired. This was a skill he had perfected over the last several years and had saved his piece of mind more times than he could count.

A month. That was how long it would be until he was finally able to meet his betrothed for the first time. He didn't know what to think about their meeting but he did know that he wouldn't be able to abstain from sex for that long. Hell, he didn't even know how long it would be before he did actually get to sleep with his future wife. He assumed that Helena would want to abide exactly by the courting rules, so he guessed a few years at the very least.

If he was grateful for one thing about this whole, it was that his betrothal contract was worded in a way that allowed him to have sex up until the day he was married.

The only problem he had was finding someone to satisfy his needs with. After their conversation tonight he hardly believed that Sophia was going to be up for the task. His feelings for her and her feelings for him couldn't take another beating like it had tonight.

No doubt he could find many willing and horny witches in any of the Hogwarts houses, but now that they knew he was in a marriage contract it causes complications if anyone found out about his unfaithfulness to his bride-to-be. What he needed was someone who only wanted to have sex with him without the need for a personal relationship, was discrete about their encounters but was most importantly incredibly good looking.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Antares's exhaustion began to catch up with him, his eyes becoming harder and harder to remain open. Knowing that he was fighting a losing battle, he decided to stop resisting the inevitable and gave in to his tiredness and was actually very thankful when sleep finally embraced him.


	10. Chapter 10

Antares awoke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Hoping they would get the message and go away, he ignored them, burying his head under his pillows as he tried to go back to sleep. He was out of luck it seemed, for the person knocking only redoubled their efforts at gaining his attention.

Somehow he knew that he wasn't going to be left alone. So instead of avoiding the inevitable, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from out of his eyes. Once he was awake enough he told the person at his door to enter.

Sophia emerged from the other side of the door. Dressed in her usual Hogwarts uniform of a white buttoned shirt, charcoal-grey knitted V-neck with matching skirt, silver and green tie and finished with a plain black robe emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest. The only makeup she wore was a light pink lipstick that contrasted perfectly with her dark locks, which she wore down and framed her face beautifully.

"Took you long enough. I must have been knocking for at least five minutes" exclaimed Sophia as she stepped in his room.

"I was sleeping" shrugged Antares.

"I gathered as much. Though I thought you would have been up and about by now. When I noticed you weren't in the room I thought I better come and check on you. You're usually up before the rest of us."

"Shit! Shit! Shit! What time is it?" cursed Antares as he threw back his blanket and jumped out of bed.

"Quarter past Eight" replied Sophia, hiding her grin behind her hand as Antares's manhood was brought into view, swinging this way and that as he raced around his room trying to throw on his school clothes in nothing but his skin.

"I must have been more exhausted last night then I thought. I haven't overslept in years. I guess I'll have to swing by the kitchens for something to eat, and I still have to get up to the Owlery to send this betrothal gift to Helena. I tell ya, ever since I found out about that marriage contract my life has been nothing like it used to be" explained Antares he buttoned up his shirt.

Once he was finished dressing, he grabbed his wand and book bag and made to exit his room. Sophia stopped him in his tracks by placing a hand on his arm. He turned to her with eyebrows raised.

"Before you go, I have some things that I have to get off my chest, about last night," she said quietly as she looked him in the eyes.

Something about that look told him that what she had to say was important. So despite the many things he had to do that morning, he placed his book bag back on the floor and took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"I know that things can't be the way they used to be Antares, you being betrothed to Greengrass and whatnot. But I don't want things to get awkward between us because of this. I love and respect you too much to get in the way of your marriage contract, and no matter how much I know it will hurt me to see you with another woman at your side, I truly wish the best for you and Helena's future. What I'm trying to say … Is that I want us to continue being best friends like it was before you found out you were to be married. Obviously, we can't partake in casual sex anymore, but aside from that, I want absolutely nothing to change between us. Our feeling for each other won't change overnight, or at all even, but I refuse to spend my life longing for something that will never be mine. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from" said Sophia in a small voice, her eyes searching his for some type of clue as to what he was thinking.

"You right Soph," said Antares as he stood up, "Things will never be the same between us, not like it was before at any rate. But like you said that doesn't mean things have to change completely between us. I'm still me and your still you, none of that has changed. Just because we have feelings for each other that we are unable to act upon doesn't mean we can't still be friends. No doubt it will be difficult, seeing each other with someone else and not being able to do a thing about it, but we've been through some things together and I'm sure we are more than capable of handling this as well".

As he finished talking Antares enveloped Sophia in a hug, his large arms wrapping around her much smaller frame with ease.

They stayed locked in each other's arms for several moments, both of them trying to convey their feelings without nothing but their bodies. Antares buried his face in her hair, smelling her tantalising scent of vanilla and rosewood for perhaps the last time.

He would miss her. Probably more than he would care to admit. Their relationship had been as perfect as it could have been, neither one of them expecting anything from the other. It had been easy being with her, for nothing was expected of him when he was in her presence. No heir duties, no school duties, nothing at all. He was just Antares and she was just Sophia, two good-looking teenagers who were good friends and had used each for sexual pleasure, only to end up having feelings for each other that neither one of them could explain. But all of that was now gone. His fathers – and by extension, his mother's – actions had seen to that.

'Perhaps in a different life, things could have been different' thought Antares. Perhaps he could have married Sophia, had a couple kids and lead a content and happy life. But he was a realist, and living in a world of possibilities and what-ifs was something he would never dare indulge in.

"Thanks for being so understanding Antares. Somehow I know things won't be so bad" whispered Sophia into the crook of his neck.

"Please, It's you who I should be thanking, for being there for me in more ways than you could possibly imagine" replied Antares as he finally released her from his embrace.

When he stepped back he was very sad to see a lone tear roll down her perfectly sculptured cheek. Raising his hand to her face he gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. She smiled sadly at him, and he returned it with a small smile of his own.

Both of them knew that this was it. It was sad because the both of them understood that from this day forward, nothing would ever be the same again. It was for this very reason that Antares bent forward and captured her pink lips in one final kiss.

Their kiss wasn't the passionate filled, tongue-battle, that it usually was. Instead, it was something much much more than that. It was a lover's kiss. Filled with every fibre of their beings as they shared their final kiss together. Eventually, with much regret on both sides, they pulled apart from one another.

They said no more on the subject after that. For what more could they say that hadn't already been said to each other in that kiss.

"I really should get going, before I'm late for class," said Antares as he once more picked up his things.

"What subject do we have first?" he asked as they left his room.

"Double History of Magic with Binns" replied Sophia, once more back to her regular self.

"Excellent," grinned Antares, "Binns won't mind too much if I show up to class a bit late. I don't know why but for some reason he's always been very lenient when it comes to me".

The two of them entered the now empty common room, the rest of their classmates already having gone down to breakfast.

The two of them parted ways on the way up to the Great Hall, Antares turning towards the Entrance Hall and Sophia to the Slytherin table for Breakfast.

The Hogwarts grounds were cold and the sky grey as Antares walked across the frozen fields and once more made his way towards the Owlery.

Once he was standing at the top of the building, he withdrew Helena's second courting gift – this time without a letter – and walked over to were Aquila was perched.

"How've you been boy?" asked Antares as he scratched Aquila behind his right ear.

Aquila's only response was a half-hearted glare and a tiny bob of his head forward as if to say he had been okay.

"I've got another task for you, same as yesterday in fact," said Antares as he brought Helena's gift into view.

At this news, Aquila seemed to perk up and Antares couldn't help but grin as his owl suddenly became animated, eagerly holding out his leg for the parcel.

Tying the small package to his leg and giving him the instructions, Antares gave Aquila one last scratch behind the ear before descending the stairs and making his way back to the castle.

When he did get back to the castle, he made a quick detour to the kitchen for some breakfast. The house-elves were more than happy to help and had no issue with a student being somewhere they weren't supposed to be.

Antares loved house-elves. Not in an affectionate way, no, he thought they were vile and disgusting little creatures. But he was unable to deny that they were dead useful when it came to menial tasks. He especially liked how submissive they were, always so ready and eager to please. They were also surprisingly powerful when it came to magic, able to perform great feats of magic when the time came for it. The things he could accomplish with an army of House Elves made him positively giddy at the thought.

After having a quick bite to eat, Antares finally made his way to his History of Magic Class. Binns had no problem with him being late. What followed was two-hours of Binn's droning on and on about the Goblin rebellions of 1752, the ghost professors voice managing to put half the class asleep before the class was halfway over.

"Well that was as mind-numbingly boring as I remember it being," said Antares to Sophia and Xavier as they exited the History of Magic classroom.

Xavier nodded in agreement, "Is it just me or does Binn actually get more boring the longer he talks. I swear with the amount of money we pay for tuition they could at least give us a competent teacher".

"Anyway," said Antares, "I'll catch up with you guys after lunch. I've got some business that I need to take care of".

Xavier and Sophia both gave him questioning looks, but he didn't elaborate further and instead set off in the direction of the Library.

* * *

 

The Hogwarts Library was one of Antares's favourite places. With its large rows of ancient texts and the overwhelming smell of aged parchment, it reminded him of his own personal library at Grimmauld Place. It was a place where he could usually study in peace, away from the disturbing chitter-chatter of the common room. Xavier, Sophia and Caroline could usually be found with him but more often than not he could be found tucked behind some dusty old tome at the back of the library, enjoying nobody's companying but his own.

But his visit to the library today wasn't for his pleasure, but rather to find someone that he thought might be able to help him with his little sex issue. He had heard from one of her housemates that this was the place where she could most likely be found.

Walking straight down the middle of the library, Antares quietly scanned the rows of dusty, heavily-packed, shelves of ancient books, making sure he didn't accidentally overlook the person he was searching for.

To anybody who didn't know the library as well as he did, they might have given up after 10 minutes of searching without any sign of what they were looking for. But Antares knew the Library like the back of his hand, knowing every hidy hole and hidden alcove that there was to know.

After he didn't find her in any of the isles, nor the alcoves and other common hiding spots, he went to the last place he could think of. A place that most students didn't even know existed.

Making sure that he wasn't being followed, Antares made his way to the back of the library. He passed what seemed like hundreds of bookshelves, all of them made out of a rich dark wood and covered in thick layers of dust.

It wasn't until he was at the very back of the library that he finally came to a stop. In front of him stood a shelf that looked identical to all the other bookshelves. But unlike the other shelves, this one held a secret that very few people knew about.

Stepping closer to the shelf, Antares began to count in his head. One. Two. Three. Four. He stopped here and put his hand on the fourth tome from the left.

The tome that he held between his fingers was dark red in colour and was suspiciously covered in less dust than the others that surrounded it. Someone had been here, and recently at that.

Checking his left, and then his right to make sure nobody was around, Antares quickly pulled the book all the way forward. As he removed his hand from the book, the shelf began to swing forward as if it was on some type of magical hinge.

Antares smirked as he quickly entered the room that had just been revealed, the bookshelf closing behind him a few seconds later.

The room he had entered couldn't really be called a room. It was perhaps a meter and a half long by a meter and a half wide and was made entirely out of some type of grey stone. Across from him stood a large wooden door, dark red in colour with a large brass handle.

Having been here multiple times in the past, Antares had no reservations about turning the handle and entering the room beyond.

A large circular room lay on the side of the door. Bookshelves lined the entire wall from left to right. A roaring fire could be found on the left side of the room, with several leather armchairs sitting in front of it. A brown shag carpet covered the entirety of the room.

The room wasn't empty, however. For seated in one of the comfortable leather armchairs beside the fireplace with a book in her lap was the very person he had been searching for. Seeing as she hadn't looked up from her book, Antares could only assume that she hadn't noticed his presence. He took this time to silently assess the women who he would hopefully be having sex with very soon.

Maxine Harrison was a sixth grade Hufflepuff half-blood witch of mixed English and Chinese descent. She was of an average height, had amazingly smooth honey coloured skin and long, lustrous dark-black hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and reached to just below her shoulder blades. Her face was oval shaped and was very beautiful, sporting a small nose, lush full lips and almond-shaped eyes that were a beautiful hazel in colour. Overall, she was one beautiful woman.

"Good afternoon, Maxine"

Maxine looked up from her book with a confused expression on her face.

"Black?" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course. Quiet the effort it was as well, you're not an easy person to find. You're lucky that you're not the only person that knows about this place" replied Antares, walking into the room and taking the seat across from her.

"But why were you looking for me? To my knowledge we've never actually met before" said Maxine, closing her book and sitting up in her chair.

"There's a first time for everything I guess. I always enjoy meeting pretty ladies such as yourself" replied Antares with a smile.

"What do you want Black? No doubt theirs something that you want from me. People like you don't just make new friends without wanting something in return. So what is it that you want from me?" said Maxine, rolling her eyes at his obviously flirting. Although she couldn't completely conceal her emotions as her lips curved ever so slightly.

"oh how you wound me so," said Antares dramatically, one hand raised to his forehead.

"Quit it Black!" she warned.

"Okay, Okay. I'll get to the point" replied Antares, his expression becoming serious as he sat up straighter in his seat.

"I have a proposition for you. A very lucrative proposition"

"What type of proposition?" asked Maxine, her curiosity getting the best of her.

'Now for the hard part' thought Antares to himself, 'convincing someone I've just met for the first time to have sex with me for money'.

Antares wasn't stupid. He knew that if he just outright asked her to have sex with him for an insane amount of gold that should most likely say no. For what self-respecting Witch would say yes to such an outrageous proposal from somebody that had only just met.

So being the cunning Slytherin he was, Antares had made sure to do his homework on his intended target. If all went according to plan, he would be leaving this room a very happy man. If things didn't go as well as he hoped, well then he could always resort to a memory charm.

"As you may or may not have heard, I have been entered into a Betrothal Contract with Helena Greengrass and as such have to marry her before my 21st Birthday," said Antares.

"Of course I did, it's the only topic the whole school is talking about" replied Maxine.

"Well," continued Antares, "you being aware of the old ways should know what this contract means for me. If you don't, then let me enlighten you. It means I'm not allowed sexual relations with anyone but her".

"And this has something to do with me because …" asked Maxine, not seeing how Blacks sex life was any concern of hers.

"But that bylaw doesn't come into effect until after I'm married," continued Antares as if she hadn't spoken at all, "which means that I'm allowed to have sex with anyone I want until the day that I am actually married. Which is a very good thing seeing as I very much enjoy having sex."

Maxine's face turned a beautiful shade of pink at Antares's casual discussion of his sex life. She wasn't the type of girl to casually talk about such crass subjects such as one's personal sex life. Especially to someone she had only just met.

"Now I know that you don't know me, but if you did then you would know that I am a very honourable man and that I would never do anything to disrespect my future wife. I know that there is absolutely no possible way that I will be able to remain celibate for the next five years, and I would never even dream of trying to remain so. Sure I could continue as I have for the last two years and sleep with any of my various partners, but now that everyone is aware of the fact that I am to be married, things have become a little bit more complicated. No more can I just waltz around the castle and sleep with whomever I want, not without causing certain people to talk. Which is something that I'd rather avoid if I could help it. The last thing I need for my reputation is for everyone to start talking about how I'm being unfaithful to my future wife. So this is where you come into play. My proposition to you is this. In exchange for a completely sexual relationship with myself whenever and wherever I see fit, I will give you 10,000 Galleons a month."

"You want me to what?!" exclaimed Maxine loudly as she got to her feet.

"I want to pay you a lot of money for a lot of sex," said Antares with a completely straight face.

Antares sank back into his chair with a satisfied look on his face as Maxine began to pace back in forth in front of the fireplace. He really did enjoy how her face rapidly changed from one expression to the next, going from shock to outrage than to anger and back again to outrage. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not but he swore he even saw her smile on more than one occasion.

"You still haven't given me an answer Maxine, " said Antares after several minutes without a response.

"Absolutely not!" shouted Maxine as she abruptly came to a stop.

"Come on Maxine, it's not like it'll mean anything. It'll just be a couple of good-looking teenagers engaging in casual consensual sex from time to time. You don't have to love me. Hell, I don't even care if you like me. I just need someone who knows how to be discrete, and I believe you're that type of person. 10,000 Galleons a month is a lot of money, especially if the arrangement is for the next 24 months."

"I don't need, nor want, your money Black. I'll pass on your "deal" thanks" she spat at him in disgust.

"Just think it about it would you," he said as he stood up, "No harm ever came from thinking things through".

With that Antares gave her one of his most sincere smiles as he made to make his way from the room.

"Why me Black?" she called out to him, "What made you decide to come to me when we've never even spoken before?"

Antares hand froze on the door handle as he heard Maxine called out to him from across the room.

"I've always had a thing for pretty Asians," he called out to her without turning around, the corners of his mouth turned up in avid amusement.

With that Antares opened the door and exited the secret library, leaving a very speechless and very confused Maxine Harrison behind him.

* * *

 

Several hours after leaving the Library, Antares made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. Xavier, Sophia and the rest of his friends were already seated and all of them were listening intently as Caroline read out an article from the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. At first, he wasn't able to hear what was being said. But the closer he walked towards them the more he realized that they were reading about him, or rather his marriage contract.

"–  _It is surely a sad day for young women all over the Wizarding World as one of Britain's most eligible bachelors has finally been taken off of the market. Insider sources have informed us that the Eldest son of Lord Orion Black and heir to the Black Family has been betrothed to Helena Greengrass, eldest daughter of Lord Jasper Greengrass. Antares recently started his Sixth Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he resides in Slytherin house. It has been said that he is one of the most talented students to have walked the halls of Hogwarts in recent years. The Black family is one the oldest and richest family in the country, and is a family that has no doubt played a large hand in shaping wizarding Britain throughout history. On his 21_ _st_ _birthday, Antares shall take over the role of Lord Black from his father, which includes a seat on the Wizengamot and the managing of the Black Family Estate. While no-one knows the exact amount of the Black Families wealth, it is estimated to total well over $395.70 Million Galleons. Aside from the power, he will one day wield and the many galleons that he will one day control, it is also to be noted that the Black Heir is quite the looker as well, inheriting the natural good looks that all Blacks are known to for. We here at the Prophet Wish Scion Black and his future wife all the happiness in their future together, and hope that we are fortunate enough to secure an invite to what will surely be the wedding of the decade_ ".

Waiting several seconds for his friends to settle down, Antares quickened his pace and took his seat at the Slytherin dining table.

"Did you know about this Antares?" asked Caroline, placing the Daily Prophet before him.

Antares glanced down at the front cover. Sure enough, a picture of his face adorned the front cover and in large bold text read "Black Heir to be Married".

"I did not. But it was bound to happen sooner or later. I wouldn't even be surprised if it was my Great Aunt who told them, Merlin knows she loves to spread gossip whenever she can" he replied, shoving the prophet to the side as he piled his plate with various foods.

"Would she do something like that?" asked Tristan.

"It wouldn't be the first time," said Antares.

"I saw Aquila deliver the second betrothal gift to Helena this morning," commented Xavier offhandedly, "by the expression on her face I take it was something both beautiful and expensive".

"Of course it was. Let it never be said that we Blacks are bad at giving gifts, and before you ask it was a Betrothal ring, emblazoned with the Black family crest"

"A warning symbol. I like it" smirked Xavier.

"A what?" asked a confused Jasper.

"A warning symbol to other men that Helena is taken. Anyone who tried to remove the ring or interferes with her in any way is an attack not only against Helena but an attack against House Black" said Sophia.

Pushing his plate away Antares picked up the Daily Prophet and turned the page over. His eyes turned into slits as he read the story that was on the second page. Apparently, a group of wizards had attacked a Muggle town on the outskirts of Exeter, 15 were dead, including 5 children whilst another 20 were badly injured. The attack suspects the work of dark Wizards and Witches unknown. Antares mind turned immediately turned in the direction of Voldemort. He didn't know enough to blame this attack on him, but he knew in his heart that this was the work of someone very dark and very twisted.

"Have you seen this?" he asked, looking up at them as he showed them the paper.

"It's disgusting," said Sophia sadly as she finished reading the article. The others nodded their agreement.

"It beyond disgusting," replied Antares, "Any wizard that kills Muggles for fun isn't fit to even use Magic, let alone call themselves a Wizard".

With that statement Antares pushed his plate away, stood up and walked towards the exit of the Great Hall, ignoring the many call outs from his friends.

Sophia stood up and made to go after him, something was obviously wrong with Antares and she intended to find out what.

"Its best if you stay here Soph," said Xavier, "I'll go and find out what his problem is. I haven't seen him act this way about the death of Muggles before. Somethings obviously very wrong with him, and he's more likely to tell me about that than he is you."

Sophia made to comment, but Caroline quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat.

"Xavier's right Sophia. Everything that's happened in the last few days has probably upset Antares more than he would like to admit, which is not something he's likely to confess to you given the state of things".

Sophia reluctantly nodded in agreement, returning to her seat with a frown. Xavier nodded to his friends before taking off in the same direction as Antares"

Xavier easily spotted Antares's retreating back as he exited the great hall. His first instinct was to call out to his friend in order to gain his attention, but instead of doing this he opted to quietly follow Antares and see where exactly he was going.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer for Antares made his way towards the entrance hall, exiting through the large wooden doors that lead to the grounds of Hogwarts. Xavier followed him a few moments later.

Outside it was pitch black, making it all the more difficult for Xavier to follow Antares down the various hills and slopes that surrounded Hogwarts. Making sure to keep a safe enough distance so that he wasn't spotted, Xavier

Eventually, his friend stopped walking, coming to a stop at the very edge of the Black Lake. Quietly kneeling behind a large rock, Xavier waited to see what Antares planned to do.

The answer it seemed, was nothing. Several minutes passed as Xavier watched his friend do nothing but look out into the oddly still waters of the glistening lake.

"I know you're their Xavier. You may as well come on out and join me" called out Antares.

'How did he know?' thought Xavier, stepping into view from behind his boulder.

"You really ought to be quieter when you follow someone, Xavier. You're a wizard. You should act like it" commented Antares as he turned around to face his best friend.

"I'm sorry for following you Antares," Xavier replied sheepishly, "you seemed pretty angry back in the great hall. I wanted to make sure you were okay".

"I'm not okay Xavier. In fact, I'm the exact opposite of okay"

"What is it? What's the problem Antares? You name it and I'll do my best to fix it" replied a now very concerned Xavier.

Antares didn't say anything, and for several minutes the two of them stood silently shoulder to shoulder as the wind whipped violently around them. Eventually, however, he did speak.

"It's everything, Xavier. My life's been nothing but chaotic since the summer. The marriage contract. The courting. Mine and Sophia's rocky relationship. School work. Preerfect Duties. Heir duties. All of it is beginning to make me a little stressed out. I guess the news about the dead Mudbloods tipped me over the edge" confessed Antares as he turned and faced his friend.

"But you despise all things Muggle," said Xavier.

"I do, but that's hardly the point now is it Xavier" replied Antares, "I don't care if it was a muggle, Mudblood, half-blood or pureblood that was killed. Nobody deserves to die just because another person wishes it so. Especially at the hands of a wannabe Dark Lord who promotes pureblood supremacy so openly and inhumanely".

"I haven't heard anything about that. What do you mean Dark Lord?" asked Xavier, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"Of course you haven't. The Ministry's done a good job of keeping everything under wraps. I myself only known because of my Grandfathers position at the ministry. Apparently, muggles everywhere have been disappearing and turning up dead weeks later. It's believed that a Dark Wizard is responsible for the deaths, and is doing so in the name of Pureblood Supremacy. He wants to restore Purebloods to their proper place amongst society".

"But haven't you yourself said that we shouldn't have to hide away from the Muggles. That the Mudbloods are ruining our society more and more as each year passes. Isn't a world without that filth something we've talked about – dreamed about – since we were kids. Has that all changed now?"

"I want to bring about a change via political and economic means. Not Slaughtering anyone who doesn't agree with our ideology. Killing all Muggles and Mudbloods isn't going to preserve Pureblood traditions, nor is it a sustainable way of life. Take Grindelwald for example. He tried to bring his dream about via fear, cruelty and mass slaughter, and look where that got him. Magicless. Powerless. Locked up in a prison of his own creation. I won't fail where he did" replied Antares with conviction.

"So what do you plan to do about it?" asked Xavier after several moments of silence.

"I don't know exactly. We'll see what the next few months bring and go from there. But my plans for the future haven't changed. We will go down in history" said Antares

Xavier nodded his understanding of the somewhat cryptic statement. Only the two of them understood what Antares was really talking about.

"But enough about the future," said Antares, "We better get back up to the castle, I have Prefect Patrol with Evans in 20 minutes".

* * *

 

"You're late"

"By 3 minutes Black. I'd hardly called that late, and what are you doing in the Headmasters chair?" replied a very flustered looking Lily Evans.

"I wanted to see what the view was like," Antares said whilst standing up and descending the stairs, "Although I must say your appearance really does improve the overall aesthetic of the room".

Lily only half blushed at Blacks compliment as he walked passed her and into the entrance hall, before following him out of the room.

"Where to first?" asked Lily as she fell into step beside Antares.

"Uh-uh" grinned Antares, "You're the boss Evans, I'm just along for the ride".

"What are you even doing here anyway Black? Professor McGonagall only said that you were covering for Remus, not the reason why".

"As punishment for not conforming to Professor Graves demands in Defence Against the Dark Arts class the other day" replied Antares as they turned down a dimly lit corridor.

"What kind of demands?" asked Lily curiously, "I had him the other day and he seems like a good enough teacher to me".

"He wanted me to duel Helena. I refused. He gave me detention and here I stand" shrugged Antares as if was the simplest explanation in the world.

Lily nodded her head, understanding the reasoning behind his actions.

"I heard about your betrothal to Greengrass, it's all anybody can talk about," admitted Lily after a while, "You have my congratulations by the way".

"It's hardly a thing worthy of celebrating" remarked Antares.

Lily frowns, unsure of what she was hearing. She would have assumed that being betrothed to Helena Greengrass was something Black would be happy about. Apparently, that wasn't the case. She wondered why he would have chosen to marry someone he obviously didn't like. She decided to voice her thoughts.

"Why even be betrothed to her then?"

"Like it's my choice to marry her," chuckled Antares, "my parents made the arrangements".

"Why would they do such a thing? Knowing that it makes you unhappy?" asked Lily as she turned to face him, her expression softening somewhat.

"But shouldn't you have a say in the matter?"

"It doesn't work like that Evans. Not in my world at least".

"But why doesn't it Antares? Why should they get to dictate the rest of your life for you?"

"Just drop it, Evans. You wouldn't understand anyway" replied Antares quietly.

But Lily wouldn't drop it. She wanted to know why

"Then make me. Make me understand. Make me understand why you're betrothed to someone you don't love. Why you're ruining your life for the sake of your parent's approval." asks Lily, her green eyes boring into his, looking for something only she knew what.

"Of course I would," snapped Antares loudly, "Don't you think I want that? I want a wife who loves me for who I am, I want to kiss her and make love to her because it is what we both want, not because some contract stipulates it must be so. And yet I live every day knowing that such fantasies will never be a reality, that I am destined to do as my family commands and marry someone I know nothing about because it is expected of me. I do it because it's what a pureblood is supposed to do. It's what I'm supposed to do".

Antares turned away from an open-mouthed Lily and began to walk away from her.

"Antares. Wait. Antares come back, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Lily called to Antares's retreating form.

Antares came to a stop. He hadn't meant to get angry at her, but she had brought up all of his own insecurities with her constant questions regarding his betrothal. The same sort of questions he had asked himself since his father had walked into his bedroom and told him he was to be betrothed to Helena Greengrass.

"I'm sorry Evans. I didn't mean to snap at you back there" admitted Antares as Lily finally stood in front of him once more.

"I'm sorry too" replied Lily, "I shouldn't have tried to pry into your business. It's none of my business who you choose to marry".

"Tell me about yourself Evans," said Antares after a while, trying to dissipate the awkward silence that had developed between them.

"uhh Sure" replied Lily uncertainly, "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your life before Hogwarts. Before you knew you were a Witch. Tell me what it's like growing up a Muggle".

What followed was an hour-long discussion of Antares asking Lily various questions about what it was like growing up in the Muggle world, how certain things worked and what it was like growing up without the aid of Magic.

Some of the things Lily had told him sounded very fascinating, and others downright scary. He especially liked the sound of something called a 'car', Lily described it something similar to a train, but much smaller and without the need for tracks. The way she described her world and her upbringing made him wonder if Muggles were actually as horrid as his family had described to him. It unsettled him how much he neglected to learn about the people he had thought of as savages. His general opinion of them hadn't changed of course. It would take more than a few anecdotes to change his mind about them, but the situation definitely called for reassessment in the future.

Eventually, their shift came to an end and the two of them found themselves in front of the portrait of the fat lady. Being a Prefect meant that Antares knew the location to all of the school dormitories.

"Thanks again for walking me back to the dorms Antares. You really didn't have to though."

"No problem Evans. A pretty lady should never walk alone at night. Even in a school as safe as Hogwarts" replied Antares, his most charming smile once again in full effect.

"I enjoyed our conversation tonight. It was nice getting to know the real Antares Black" said Lily, smiling brightly at him, her cheeks tinged a light shade of pink.

"I did also. It was … refreshing, and insightful, to say the least. You've given me a lot to think about where Muggles are concerned" Antares admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm glad you think so. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even give you a tour of Muggle London"

"I'd like that," said Antares, giving her a warm smile.

"Well, I uh, I guess I should head on up to bed. My friends are probably wondering where I am" commented Lily after she had whispered the password to a very annoyed Fat Lady.

Antares smiled at her softly. "Goodnight, Lily."

"Goodnight Antares" she whispered to him as she grabbed hold of the door handle, closing the portrait quietly behind her.

It was only when she was on the other side of the portrait hall that she realised he had called her by her name for the first time. Grinning to herself, she couldn't help but have a slight spring in her step as she made her way up to her dormitory.

Humming slightly to himself, Antares slowly descended the many moving staircases that occupied Hogwarts. From their, he made his towards his dormitory in the dungeons. Standing in front of the Portrait of Salazar Slytherin, he quickly gave the password ('Serpent's Lore') and made his way into the still very populated common room.

Xavier, Sophia and Caroline were still up, sitting in front of the fireplace with several of the other 6th years. Huddled in a dark corner of the room was his brother Regulus and his brother's friend Severus Snape. They weren't alone, however, at least 7 others were with them, all of them older than his brother.

"I'm back. Did any of you miss me" said Antares jokingly as he took a seat in the last empty chair beside the fireplace.

"It's about time Ares," commented Caroline with a huff, flicking her hair over her shoulder, "You were supposed to be back twenty minutes ago".

"Yeah, sorry about that. Patrol took longer than I thought it would. What's been happening whilst I've been gone" he asked them.

"Not a lot. Homework mostly, McGonagall's essay on switching spells is particularly brutal this year" replied Jensen Sayre, a tall, average looking, fifth-year student that often hung out with them in the common room.

"Switching spells are easy. Wait until you get to Human Transfiguration, then you'll really know the meaning of brutal" said Sophia with an evil grin, the others nodded their heads in agreement.

Human transfiguration was the most difficult and most dangerous branch of transfiguration. was a reason it was only taught at N.E.W.T Level. One wrong mistake could kill you. Become proficient enough at the subject however, provided endless possibilities and a multitude of uses.

Advanced Magic seemed for to be the favoured topic of discussion for the night, all of them discussing which branch of each subject was the hardest. With the most popular opinion being that Transfiguration was clearly the winner, followed closely by rune-chains in Ancient Runes.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack. I'll see you guys in the morning" he said, getting to his feet.

He was halfway across the common room when he heard it. Someone had Voldemort mentioned from the direction of his brother's group.

He was halfway across the room when he heard mention of something he had not expected to hear in his own common room, especially from his own blood.

"And you're certain about all this? About his plans, and his power?" asked Regulus Black in a hushed whisper.

"One hundred percent. He wants to restore the wizarding world to its former glory, promising to clear the world of all Mudbloods and Blood Traitors. He also promises power and wealth to all of those wise enough to join him from the ground level of his operation" replied, a seventh year Slytherin by the name of Curtis Selwyn.

Curtis Selwyn would describe himself an average wizard. From his brown hair and brown eyes to his average height and average ability at magic. So when he his father had introduced him to someone who said he could give him the power and respect he deserved, he had of course accepted. Recruiting his fellow students was his first mission.

"How do we know that he will actually follow through with these plans, or that he is worthy of following. Any wizard can claim to want to change the world, but few are willing to actually do what it takes to make a difference" asked Severus Snape, a fifth year Slytherin who was good friends with his brother.

"That's enough Selwyn! I won't have you corrupt my brother with your delusions of grandeur" commanded Antares, finally making his presence known to the group of teenagers. The room became deathly silent in an instant, all of the occupants turning around to see what all the commotion was about.

"Antares, I -" began Regulus.

"Quiet Regulus. I'll deal with you later" commanded Antares, glaring down at his youngest brother.

"Whatever you say Black," said Selwyn as he got to his feet, "But I'd hardly call them delusions. There's a new power in the world and it's only a matter of time before everybody knows it. I would have thought that, given your family's reputation, that you would be supportive of our movement".

"I may be a pureblood Selwyn and my family may be anti-muggle. But that doesn't mean we want all of them dead," replied Antares, "To side with this monster will be political and economic suicide, not to mention downright suicidal. None of which I intend to indulge in."

"Your wrong Black, You'll see." said a now smirking Selwyn. "Power and glory await those who are loyal to the cause, especially to those who prove themselves worthy".

"Your dreaming if you think he'll share his power with you," Antares sneered, "He would see you bow before him like the lowly creature you are. If History has taught us anything, it's that Dictators don't share power".

Selwyn's eyes narrowed at the insult, but he remained from drawing his wand. Antares Black was a fearsome dueller and there was no way he was going to do anything in front of so many witnesses. Black would get his comeuppance in the future, he would make sure of it.

Looking around the room, Antares saw that he had caught the attention of everyone in the common room, and more than half them looked upon with complete and utter confusion. This was the perfect opportunity to impart some knowledge on his housemates, lest anyone else get any more thoughts about joining Voldemort in the future.

Clearing his throat loudly, Antares turned around so that he was facing the rest of his house. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"Listen up, students of Slytherin House. No doubt all of you have heard about the attack on the various Muggles over the last several weeks. Of the countless deaths of men, women and children at the hands of several unknown wizard and witches."

Upon seeing their nodding heads, he continued speaking.

"Well, the person responsible for these attacks goes by the name of Lord Voldemort. And this wizard, this so-called Lord Voldemort, claims to want to bring about a golden age of Wizardry, and to do this he has promised to bring an end to all Mudbloods, Blood-traitors and Muggles. To make it so that we do not have to hide who we are from the outside world. No doubt he will promise power, riches and glory to those who follow him, but what he really offers is a lifetime of servitude, unimaginable pain, and even death. He will see you bow before him, enslaved to his every will. Making you do as he commanded and torturing you if you refused. He would see us caught up in a civil war, a war that nobody here wants. He would pit brother against brother, father against son and friend against friend, and would laugh at the chaos he would cause. You may very well join this Voldemort in hope that he may share but a fraction of his power, but a man who is willing to do anything in order to get what he wants, isn't a man to follow."

"Heed my words," said Antares, his piercing grey eyes looking around the room, assessing each of his housemates individually "each and every one of you. Siding with this murderer will be the worst decision you'll ever make".

Casting one last look around the room, he turned on his heel and made his way towards his room, but not before one last parting statement.

"oh and Selwyn" called Antares over his shoulder, "involve my brother, or any of his friends, in any more conversations regarding this so-called Voldemort, and you'll have me to deal with".

 


	11. Chapter 11

Three days had passed since Antares had made his late-night speech regarding Voldemort in the common room. The next morning had bought a lot of questions and even more stares. His friends had wanted him to fill them in of course, but he had refused to say anything more, claiming ignorance of any other info.

As promised he had given Regulus a good talking to, going as far as to forbid him from interacting with Selwyn altogether. Regulus hadn't like this of course, but had quickly complied once Antares had threatened to reveal his secret to their mother and father. A secret that Regulus had carried with him his entire life.

Selwyn hadn't tried any more recruiting since that night, not in the common room at least. In fact, he had done his best to keep out of Antares's way, being the last one down to breakfast and the last one to go to bed.

Antares didn't understand why of course; he was hardly going to attack the bloke for being in the same vicinity as him. As long as Selwyn stayed away from his brother and dropped this talk about joining Voldemort, Antares could care less about what he got up to in his daily life.

Currently, it was around eleven o'clock at night and Antares was sitting by the fireplace with Xavier and Jasper, the others having just gone to bed a few moments ago.

"I was told to give you this Mr Black. She said you'd know who it was from" squeaked the first year from out of nowhere, holding out the cream coloured envelope whilst maintaining as much distance from Antares as he could.

"It's about bloody time. I've been waiting three days for this" said Antares good-naturedly as he grabbed the letter off of the first year and tucked it into his robe pocket.

"What's your name boy" called Antares as the first year made to retreat.

"F-Felix sir," he stuttered, "Felix Abraham"

"Well Felix Abraham," said Antares as he pulled out a small sack of coins, "Take this for your trouble".

"Th-th-thanks Mr Black," said Felix, his eyes widening considerably when he felt how heavy the coin pouch actually was.

"No problem kid, just make sure you come to my room in around 15 minutes so that you can deliver my response"

"Will do Mr Black, you can count on me" said Felix before hastily exiting the common room.

"What's that all about?" asked Xavier after Felix was out of earshot.

"I'll tell you later Xavier," said Antares as he stood up, "but right now I have a letter to write".

With that Antares left Xavier and Jasper to their own devices and made his way to his room. Pulling out his wand he cast a quick locking charm on his door before sitting down at his desk. Pulling out the envelope from his robe pocket, Antares broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter within.

_Black,_

_I agree to your proposal. Although I need some assurances if this arrangement is going to work at all._

_Firstly, no one, including your friends, are allowed to know about our arrangement. The last thing I need is for everyone at school to think that I'm some kind of whore that'll have sex with anyone for a couple of galleons. Secondly, you have to give me at least an hours' notice before we meet up anywhere. You can't just send me a note to meet you somewhere without giving me at least this amount of notice. Lastly, on our first meeting we are both to swear an Unbreakable Oath that will force us to uphold our end of the deal or we will both loose our magic. This part is non-negotiable. No Unbreakable Oath, No Deal._

_Maxine H._

_Ps. The price has gone up to 12,000 a month. Take it or leave it._

Antares couldn't help but grin as he quickly read Maxine's response. He wasn't even mad that she had risen the price by 2,000 Galleons a month, it wasn't like a few thousand galleons meant much in the grand scheme of things. Grabbing a spare bit of parchment from his draw, he picked up his own Augurey quill and began to write his response.

_Maxine,_

_All terms are agreeable. Meet me in the Prefect Bathroom on the third floor tomorrow at 7 PM._

_The password is 'Falconcrest'._

_A._

Antares nodded his head in approval. His letter was clear, concise and got straight to the point. He had decided on not placing his full name on his response so that if it happened to fall into the wrong hands, it wouldn't be able to be traced back to him. One could never be too careful when it came to one's own personal safety.

Folding the piece of parchment in half, he placed it in a standard white envelope and sealed it with the Hogwarts School crest.

It was about 10 minutes later when he heard a loud knock on his bedroom door. Picking up the envelope, Antares stood up and walked over to the door. Instead of opening it and handing the letter to Felix, he bent down and pushed the envelope through the small crack at the bottom of the door.

From his position, he could clearly hear the envelope being picked up and the sound of scurrying feet making its way away from his room and down towards the Slytherin common room.

Antares couldn't help but contain his glee as he made his way over to his bed and literally jumped into it. Four Days. That's how long he hadn't had sex for. Sure it might not sound like a very long time, but to someone who had been having regular sex since they were thirteen four days felt like an eternity.

Maxine saying yes to his proposal was very good news indeed. Not only did it mean that he would finally be able to relieve his stress, but he would also be able to have sex with her whenever and wherever he wanted. Something that every 16-year boy no undoubtedly dreamed about.

Truthfully he had expected her to say 'No'. Judging from the way she had reacted when he had asked her the other day, one would think that he had asked her to do something much more drastic than having casual sex for a ridicules amount of money.

But then again, her response hadn't been all that surprising. He had chosen her for his sexual partner for a very specific reason and had offered her as much gold as he had because he knew she would have a hard time not accepting it.

He was just glad that his contacts information had held some degree of truth to it, and everything had gone according to plan. If it hadn't and he had made a total fool of himself for absolutely no reason, then he would have to have a word with his Aunt the next time that he saw her.

Sliding under the covers and turning off the lights with a flick of his wrist, Antares couldn't help but feel excited about tomorrow night. He hadn't been with anyone other than Sophia since before he had found out about his marriage contract, and couldn't wait to see what Maxine looked like under all those bulky school robes.

For what felt like the first time in ages he was finally going to do something that he actually wanted to do. Not something that he had to do because of his contract, or because he had detention, but something that was purely for his own enjoyment. In his opinion, tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

_**The Next Day** _

The prefect's bathroom was located at the very end of the third floor corridor. It was well hidden behind a large portrait of a very famous potions master named Asmodian and could only be opened by someone who knew the password. Antares – being a prefect himself – knew the password, and had made use of the private bathroom on more than one occasion.

The bathroom was very large, was brightly lit and was lavishly decorated. The floors were made up of a combination of grey polished tiles and so were the walls. Lavatories lined the left side of the room and across from them on the other side of the room were several porcelain sinks that had mirrors above them.

In the centre of the room there was a large circular in-ground pool, for calling it anything but would be severely inaccurate. The pool was perhaps 6 meters wide and a meter and a half deep, and had a set of marble stairs that descended into the water for easy access. An odd ensemble of 30 or so faucets were located on the far side of the wall, all of them in various shades of silver, copper and bronze.

Looking around the room Antares couldn't help but think back to all the times he had used this very place for the exact same reason he was here for now. Everybody in Hogwarts knew that the prefect's bathroom was one of the most frequently used rooms for teens to shag in, second only to the various broom cupboards that littered the upper floors of the castle. He had learned about the room from his one of his older cousins in his second year, and its reputation as great place for debauchery was one of the main reasons he had become a prefect, that and the ability to move about the castle after dark without the fear of detention.

Knowing that he didn't have a lot of time, he walked over to the other side of the room and turned on the faucet. Water of varying colours began to pour out from the many taps that lined the wall. Within minutes the pool was filled to the brim, a thick layer of white foam covering the surface.

Checking the temperature of the water with the wave of his wand, Antares nodded his head in approval before turning the faucet off. Raising his hands to his collar he began to unbutton his cloak, taking it off completely when he had undone all of the little gold buttons.

Next came his woollen jumper and then his silk undershirt. Followed by his shoes, socks and trousers. In the end he was standing in naught but his black silk boxers, and they were the next to go. Standing in naught but his skin, Antares admired his body in the mirror across the room.

All of his early-morning workouts were paying off handsomely, and then some. Gone was that skinny and anaemic looking boy he had been when he had first entered Hogwarts six years ago, and in his place stood a tall, broad-shouldered, healthy looking and physically fit man. Had he enjoyed waking up at 5 am in the morning for the last few years, of course he hadn't. But he had realized early on in life that being good looking could usually get you whatever you wanted, and he was happier now more than ever that he had stuck with his rigorous workout regime.

Folding his clothes into a neat pile and putting them in the corner (along with his wand), Antares slowly descended the stairs into the large pool of water. The temperature of the water was perfect, not being too hot nor too cold. Sitting down in the water, Antares waited silently for Maxine's impending arrival.

Five. Ten. Fifteen minutes passed as Antares awaited Maxine's arrival. It was just when he was becoming impatient at her tardiness and his mind was on the cusp of boredom that he finally heard a sound coming from the direction of the portrait hole.

His position in the pool made him unable to see the doorway without peering over the edge, something he thought would give off a somewhat desperate vibe. He needn't have worried, however, for several seconds later Maxine Harrison came into view.

Maxine was looking as gorgeous as ever, if a bit flustered. Her honey-coloured skin was flushed red and her long dark locks were in mild disarray. He didn't know why but her dishevelled appearance coupled with her natural good looks only made her more appealing to him. He was unsure if these were his genuine feelings about her or just his libido talking, and at the moment he didn't rightly care.

"You're late"

"Yeah, Sorry about that, I had an issue I had to take care of. I'm here now, that's all that matters" said, Maxine,  as she looked down at him from her position outside of the pool.

"For a second there I thought I you weren't going to show"

"I am a woman of my word. If I had any doubts about this, then I wouldn't have agreed in the first place" replied Maxine nonchalantly.

"A woman of integrity," smiled Antares, "I can respect that".

"So, how is all this going to work?" asked Maxine, getting straight to the point.

"No need to fear Maxine, I've already got it all figured out" Antares replied.

"Firstly, we will both swear an oath on our magic to uphold our end of the bargain. All of the terms in your letter are acceptable and I agree to all of them. Failing to uphold either end of the bargain results in the other painfully losing their magic, with the safety net that if I break it off with you at any time that I see fit, then both of us will walk away unharmed. If I this is the case and I do not require your services any longer, then you will be paid a lump sum of 60,000 Galleons as a parting gift and the both of us will go our separate ways. After the oath has been made, we will have sex for as long as I see fit. Lastly you will be paid on the last day of each month in the amount of 12,000 Galleons per month. I highly suggest that you open up a Private account with Gringotts so that you can begin saving for your future, that and the fact that 12,000 gold galleons is hard to keep safe in anywhere but a bank. This way I can also just have my account send your money directly into your account without having to withdraw a heap of gold. Are all these terms agreeable?" finished Antares, who had thought about this exact question whilst he had been awaiting her arrival.

"Agreed" replied Maxine, still trying to wrap her head around everything Antares was saying.

"Any questions or anything you need to discuss with me before we get started?" asked Antares, trying to be as respectful of the situation as he possibly could. He was unaware if tonight would be her first time or not and didn't want to be too much of a prick to someone he would be having a relationship with for the next couple of years.

"Excellent" replied Antares with a grin as Maxine shook her head in the negative.

"You may as well start undressing now,' said Antares after Maxine hadn't said or done anything in several minutes, "being naked is an essential part of our agreement. In fact, it's basically the entire basis of our arrangement. And do try and relax won't you Maxine? You haven't got anything that I haven't seen before. Although I must admit I am quiet curious to see what lies beneath those bulky school robes you're wearing."

Nodding her head slowly, Maxine blushed furiously as she slowly began to unbutton her clothes. Undoing the silver clasp with trembling fingers, her woollen school cloak released itself and fell into a pool at her feet. She looked directly into Antares eyes as she removed her sweater next, and was surprised to see a look of pure arousal etched into the features of the Slytherin prefect. His obvious interest in her body made her nerves slowly begin to disappear and the blush began to fade from her cheeks. By the time she had removed her shoes, black knee-length socks and trousers, and was standing in nothing more than her black lace panties and matching bra, she was feeling a lot more comfortable then when she had first entered the room.

Reaching behind her back she unclipped her bra and slowly peeled it off of her body, exposing her magnificent honey-coloured breasts to the cool night air. Maxine's nipples hardened into little pointy nubs as she realized how cold she was now that she wasn't wearing any clothing. Quickly removing her panties, she stepped over her pile of clothes and descended the marble stairs into the deliciously warm water.

Antares couldn't help but stare at Maxine's gorgeous body as she removed her clothes piece by piece. When she was down to nothing but her cute little underwear and see-through bra, he couldn't help but begin to get an erection and by the time she had unclipped her bra and dropped her panties, it was safe to say he was fully hard.

Beneath the bulky Hogwarts robes that they were forced to wear, Maxine was sporting a rather beautiful body. She had a slim statuesque figure with not an ounce of fat in sight. Her breasts were small, perky and perfectly round, with not too much space between them nor too little. Her nipples were small little nubs that were dark pink in colour, with each one pointing off in a slightly different direction.

His eyes travelled south, past her breasts, over her flat stomach and down to her pussy. From his position in the water, he was unable to admire her femininity up close, but one thing that he could see was that she was shaved completely bald. Now he had been with his fair share of women and over half of them had no hair whatsoever downstairs, in fact, he even preferred women that had little to no hair on their sex as it made it easier – and a lot more enjoyable – to go down on them.

Maxine being shaven wasn't an issue, he had just been surprised that all of the stories he had heard about Asians never shaving downstairs had proven to be false. Ultimately, he was grateful he had been misinformed on the subject.

"What now Black?" asked Maxine as she finally stood in front of Antares, the thick layer of white foam covering both of their private parts from view.

"Come now Maxine, we're going to be spending a lot of time together. The least you could do is call me by my given name" said Antares.

"I guess you're right about that. What now Antares?" replied Maxine, nodding her head at his logic.

"Thank-you,' smiled Antares, 'and firstly we should both get these Oaths out of the way. I'll go first shall I?"

Seeing Maxine nod her head, Antares began his oath.

"I, Antares Orion of the House Black, do hereby swear on my magic and by extension my life, to pay Maxine Harrison the sum of 12,000 Galleons per month in order to have sexual intercourse with me whenever I see fit. This sum will be paid into any account of Maxine Harrisons choosing, and shall be paid on the last day of every month. If for any reason I do not require her services any longer, I swear to pay her 60,000 Galleons for her troubles. I swear that no-one other than my closest friend – Xavier Nott – will learn of our agreement via any form of communication, unless I am forced to tell someone because my life is at risk. I swear to be kind and considerate in regards to our arrangement and shall not force Maxine Harrison to do anything she is uncomfortable with, excluding regular vaginal sex. I also swear to give Maxine Harrison at least one-hour notice before meeting up with her. If for any reason she does not want to continue with our arrangement, she must provide me with at least a months' notice.  _Et ego iuro, Sic fiat semper_ "

Antares finished his oath by saying the final line of 'So I swear, so mote it be' in Latin. Without it everything he had said would have been meaningless, nothing more than a mouthful of empty words that had no meaning and no real affect. The six words at the end of oath made sure that he upheld his end of the bargain, ripping the magic from his very soul and killing him for using Magic as a tool when it was anything but.

No bright light or thunderclap could be heard as Antares swore his oath. Instead both Maxine and Antares felt a light pressure in the middle of their chest, right where their hearts were located. This pressure would remain until both of them fulfilled their end of the bargain, staying there as a reminder to them to not break their oaths.

"I think that about covers everything, what do you think?"

"It was good. I appreciate you giving me a way out if things don't go as planned, you didn't have to do that"

"I thought it only fair," replied Antares with a shrug, "I don't want to sleep with anyone against their will, especially someone as beautiful as yourself".

"I guess It's my turn then," said Maxine, smiling slightly at the offhand compliment.

"I, Maxine Claire of the House Harrison, do hereby swear on my magic and by extension my life, to engage in any sexual act that Antares Black desires of me for the next two years. I swear that I will tell no one - especially Helena Greengrass - about our arrangement via any form of communication.  _Et ego iuro, Sic fiat semper_ "

As the last of the words left her mouth Antares stepped forward and captured Maxine's pink lips in a tender kiss. Maxine stood still in shock, before hesitantly returning the kiss, her eyes closing of their own accord as she let go of all of her inhibitions. Just as she was beginning to get enjoy herself and get lost in the kiss, Antares pulled himself away.

Looking into her hazel eyes was all the confirmation he needed to know that she wanted him to continue, so that's exactly what he did.

Antares wrapped his arms around her slender frame and pulled her closer towards him, his hands going beneath the water and coming to rest on either side of her bum. Unlike their first kiss, their second kiss was far from tender. Antares's lips crashed against hers with wanton need, his tongue pressing hungrily against her mouth as he non-verbally asked for entrance. She immediately accepted his invitation and in response she hooked her fingers into his hair lightly and deepened thee, pushing her tongue against his in a full out battle. Their kiss was both passionate yet primal, both of them trying to release their sexual tensions with nothing but their lips.

Maxine's toes curled as she allowed him to explore the inside of her mouth with his tongue, doing things with his lips she had never experienced before. Never before had she kissed someone with as much passion as she was now. Not even her ex-boyfriend had kissed her with such fervor and reckless abandonment as Antares was doing to her now, and they had been together for more than two-years. If this was what the kissing was like, she couldn't fathom what the sex was going to be like.

It was several minutes later before they separated from their tonsil war, both of them red-faced and breathing heavily.

"I think our arrangement might not be too bad after all Antares" panted Maxine as she rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed tightly as she tried to regain her breath.

Antares's only was response was to started trailing a line of kisses along her jaw line. His hands gently kneaded her arse cheeks as he slowly kissed down the nape of her neck, passed her collarbone and into the valley of her breasts. Maxine moaned loudly as Antares captured one of her breasts in his mouth, his tongue and teeth paying extra attention to her erect nipple. After several minutes of paying attention to her left breast, he licked his way across her cleavage and did the same thing to her right one.

Once he had paid enough attention to the right breast he began to make his way southwards, his lips trailing lightly down her stomach and towards her navel. Seeing as the both of them were in a pool of water, Antares couldn't continue past her waist to give her femininity some much-needed attention without drowning.

Having come across the problem before – in a very similar situation to this one – Antares knew exactly what to do. Bending his head forward so that Maxine couldn't see what he was doing, Antares wandlessly and silently cast a variation of the bubble-head charm on himself before going under the water.

What followed after that was many hours of passionate orgasm-inducing sex as the two of them became familiar with each other's bodies. When they did finally leave the prefects bathroom, it was the middle of the morning and Antares had to call his family's house elf to take him and Maxine back to their dorms, the both of them being too tired and too sore to move. Despite their aches and pains, it was two very sexually satisfied teens who crawled into bed, the both of them falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.


	12. Chapter 12

_**6:30 AM, Friday 8** _ _**th** _ _**of September 1974** _

The next morning saw Antares rise from his bed with a large smile on his face. Last night had been absolutely incredible and was exactly what he had needed after his very stressful first week back at Hogwarts.

Every muscle in his body felt like it was on fire as he rolled out of bed and got to his feet. Apparently hours of intense sex wasn't without its drawbacks. He was hardly going to complain about it though. The pleasure he had both given and received was well worth the minor discomfort.

Grabbing a fresh set of clothes, he walked over towards his bathroom and turned on the shower with a flick of his wand. Magically created water that was perfectly temperate began to fall from the ceiling. Pulling off his boxers and sweatshirt, he opened the glass door and stepped into the shower.

The effects of the warm water were all but instantaneous, washing away his aches and pains until they were naught but a dull throb. Closing his eyes, Antares basked in the warmth of the water as it washed away the dirt, sweat and scent of sex that covered his entire body.

Grabbing a bar of soap and a washcloth from a nearby shelf, he quickly washed the rest of his body, as well as washing his hair with a combination of Shampoo and conditioner. Turning the water off he exited the shower, his magical mat drying him as soon as his feet had touched its surface.

Staring into the mirror the covered the wall, he took his time getting dressed into his school robes. For the first time in a month, he was genuinely happy. His night with Maxine had been refreshing, to say the least, and had drastically improved his mood. He had definitely made the right decision choosing her for the job.

When he had chosen her for the position, he hadn't known what to expect from her, sex-wise that is. He had honestly just thought that she was extremely attractive women and had basically chosen her based on that fact alone.

He hadn't known if she was a virgin, or extremely sexually active like himself. He had no knowledge of whether or she was one of those girls who thought giving head was "dirty" and only liked to have sex in the missionary position. It hadn't taken long for him to get answers to his many unanswered questions.

She had confessed to him that she wasn't a virgin but had only had one sexual partner in the past, a boy she had met whilst on holiday the previous year. She hadn't much experience and he found that he kind of liked that about her. There was just something satisfying about showing a girl all of the things he could do to them make them feel good, especially to someone who was a complete novice.

The females pleasure was his first priority when it came to sex, followed closely by his own. Disappoint one teenage female during sex and every other female in the school would hear soon about it. It was as close to social suicide as one could get and was not something he ever wanted to experience firsthand.

Checking his reflection in the mirror and finding nothing out of place, he exited the bathroom. Grabbing his book bag from beside his bed, he picked up the last courting gift for Helena and exited his room. As per usual he made his way down to the Quidditch pitch where he then did his morning exercise regime. Once he had completed that, he made his way up the Owlery, where he sent Helena's final courting gift off with his trusty owl Aquila. Descending the spiralling staircase two steps at a time, he made his way back to the Castle in just enough time to meet his friends in the Great Hall for breakfast.

_**3:45 PM, Friday 8** _ _**th** _ _**of September 1974 – Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom** _

"Boggarts. Who can tell me what they are? asked Professor Graves loudly once his group of sixth-year students had settled down.

Seeing that nobody else was going to answer, Antares decided to speak up, "Shapeshifters".

"Correct Mr. Black. 5 Points to Slytherin" replied the Professor, before going on to explain what a Boggart was in more detail.

"A Boggart is a shapeshifter that changes its form based on whatever you fear the most. It is this defence mechanism that makes them particularly frightening to deal with. A simple spell does exist to repel, and that is what I shall be teaching you today. However, we will be doing the practical assessment in a 1 on 1 session. Does anybody know why this is?"

"Because there is so many of us, it will be confused and will be unable to decide what to turn into," said Xavier from his position beside Antares at the front of the class.

"Correct Mr. Nott, but there is another reason also," said the Professor with a small smile, "Our deepest fears are sensitive information, information that you wouldn't really want to share with the rest of the class. A 1 on 1 session with me will ensure that no one else can use your fears against you, not that they would I would hope".

The majority of the students looked relieved at this information, Antares included. He wasn't sure what his deepest fear was, but he knew that whatever it was it most likely could be used against him by his enemies, whoever they may be.

After explaining the spell they were going to be using, the Riddikulus charm, the professor explained to them how a strong mind and good concentration were needed for the spell to work, and that amusement and laughter was the key to dispelling a boggart into a less-threatening and more comical form.

"Okay everybody, that's enough practice. Time for the practical assessment" called Professor Graves after 15 minutes of teaching his class the Riddikulus charm.

"Now the Boggart is located in a wardrobe across the hall. Each of you will be called over one by one, where you will then demonstrate your ability to perform the Riddikulus charm. Once I have given you your grade, you will return here and wait for the rest of the class to complete the assessment. Nobody leaves until everyone is able to successfully confuse the Boggart. Do I make myself clear?"

The entire room nodded their head in understanding.

"Excellent," smiled the Professor, "Now, who'd like to go first?"

* * *

 

_**4:05 PM, Friday 8** _ _**th** _ _**of September 1974 – Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom** _

As Antares stood in the centre of the old dusty classroom, wand in hand and a thoughtful look on his face, he wondered what he had been thinking when he had volunteered to go first against the Boggart. He didn't know what his deepest fear was, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. A strange sensation unlike any he had felt before began to grow in the pit of his stomach. If he had to describe it, he would liken it to an even mix of apprehension and excitement. Apprehension about what he was about to see, yet excited at the prospect of finding out what he feared above all else.

"When you're ready Mr. Black" said Professor Graves from beside the violently shaking wardrobe located in the centre of the room.

Antares took a deep breath as he gripping his wand tightly, before nodding to the professor that he was ready.

The professor tapped three times on the side of the rocking wardrobe. On the third tap, the door handle turned slowly, almost painstakingly so, before opening with resounding *click*.

What emerged from the wardrobe was not what he had expected to see. His parents stood before him, only they didn't look like their normal selves.

His father was dressed in his standard black robes made of Acromantula silk, and his mother looked beautiful as ever in her dark emerald dress and matching handbag. But instead of their usual stern and aloof expressions, their piercing greys that were so similar to his own were looking down at him with a combination of disdain, and loathing.

"What have you done for this family. Nothing that's what. You walk around like you own the place but everything you have you owe to us. Without us you're nothing. No one knows who you are. No one will remember your name. Everything you have is because of us, and you think we're going to hand it all over to a nobody. Regulus deserves it more than you. He's a proper pureblood who will lead this family to greatness" snarled his mother, hatred etched on every surface of her aristocratic face.

"I should have aborted you when I had the chance. Merlin knows I only wanted two children anyway"

"You will never be worthy enough to bear the title of my forefathers. You're a disappointment to me. You're a disappointment to this family. You'll never be Lord Black as long as I'm alive" whispered his father, his grey eyes glaring down at him like he was something nasty on the bottom of his shoe.

Antares face drained of all its colour. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. He tried to speak. To say that they were wrong, that he was worthy of the Black name. But for some reason, his mouth and brain didn't want to work together. His eyes grew wide and his heartbeat began to speed up rapidly as the people who gave birth to him – the people he loved more than life itself - told him he was worthless. That he was unworthy to be a Black. Unworthy to be their son.

'Get a grip Antares. This isn't real. None of it is real." Antares thought to himself, 'There just Boggarts. Mother and Father love you. You know they do".

Calming down someone what as he remembered that he was in a classroom and that none of this was actually real. Knowing that the only way he could perform the Riddikulus charm was if he could concentrate, he made to raise his Occlumency shields. He got distracted when his mother and father vanished from sight.

Just as fast as they had appeared, they vanished. But that wasn't the end of his torment, for in their place stood two more people he cared deeply about, his Grandfather Arcturus and his Grandmother Melania.

"Mudblood lover. Blood-traitor." hissed his Grandmother with a snarl, the expression oddly fitting on her usually kind face, "You want her don't you, that filthy redhead Mudblood that you call a friend. How dare you besmirch our lineage. How dare you defile the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black by wanting to lie with a filthy animal"

"A true Black would help the Dark Lord, no stand against him, clearly you are no grandson of mine" commented his Grandfather with cold dismissal, not even bothering to look his grandson in the eyes.

If the words of his mother, father and grandmother hadn't hurt him, the words of his grandfather had. His grandfather was the one person who had saw his potential from the start, who had guided him in Magic, Politics, Women, History and Literature. It was thanks to the tutelage of his grandfather that he was the wizard he was today. To hear him say such things, and be so dismissive, hurt more than he could have possibly imagined.

Eventually, they two disappeared, only to be replaced by his Aunt Cassiopeia and Uncle Marius. Then his brothers Regulus and Sirius, and half a dozen other people that were dear to his heart.

With each new appearance, Antares's broke little by little, until he was pale-faced, sweating profusely and was struggling to maintain his breath. Knowing that he couldn't let his fears conquered him, Antares mustered the last of his energy.

"Ridikkulus" he roared with all his might, wanting nothing more than to make the Boggart disappear. And disappear it did, with a loud BANG and a puff of black smoke, the Boggart ceased to exist. Antares fell to his knees, his heart pounding heavily in his chest as his vision began to blur.

"Mr Black! Mr Black!" shouted Professor Graves as he rushed forward in a panic, catching his student before he hit the floor.

Turning Antares, Professor Graves sighed heavily as he saw that his student had fallen unconscious. He wasn't surprised in the least. What he had just witnessed, nobody should have to go through. He wondered what kind of home life Antares had grown up with, to be so afraid of his family.

"Don't worry Mr. Black, you're not the only one whose fears have brought them to their knees" whispered the Professor with a somewhat sad look on his face.

* * *

 

**_4:25 PM, Friday 8th of September 1974 – Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom_ **

Antares stared blankly ahead as he sat at his desk once again, a hundred different thoughts racing through his mind, not one of them good.

Upon losing consciousness, Professor Graves had promptly 'Ennervated' him awake, before handing him a pepper-up potion and a calming draught.

Once the calming draught had taken hold and colour had once more returned to his cheeks, he had quickly brought his Occlumency shields into full force, burying the many questions and insecurities he was currently feeling deep inside of his mind.

Schooling his features into his usual mask of indifference, he had followed the Professor back to the classroom. His usual confident and careless strut notably absent from his walk.

One thing he was grateful for, however, was the fact that the Professor hadn't asked any questions, nor made any comments about what had transpired with the Boggart. If he had any assumptions about what he saw, he had at least kept them to himself.

"Is everything all right Antares? You haven't said a word since you faced the Boggart" asked Sophia once they had finally been allowed to leave the DADA classroom.

"It's nothing," commented Antares quickly, "I'm just not feeling like myself is all".

"Is it because of what the Boggart turned into?" asked Xavier, not taking no for an answer.

Antares didn't respond. Sophia and Xavier looked to one another, understanding crossing their features. Not many things affected their friend, so whatever had caused such a reaction meant that it must have been something very serious. The last time something had deeply affected Antares, he didn't speak to any of them for months.

"Tell you what mate," said a grinning Xavier, throwing his arm around Antares shoulders, "How about I get the gang together and we all head down to the Three Broomsticks for a few pints. Take your mind off of things and whatnot".

"Xavier my friend, that's perhaps the smartest thing you've said all year" replied Antares with a tired smile, returning the favour by wrapping his arm around Xavier's shoulder.

"You guys can go on ahead. I'll inform the others and meet you at our usual table in half an hour" said Sophia, knowing that the two of them hadn't spent any time together since before the summer holidays.

Antares and Xavier didn't argue with her. In their opinion, the sooner they got to the pub, the better. So instead they wished her goodbye, before they set off in the direction of the entrance hall, arms still wrapped around each other's shoulders.

**_4:55 PM, Friday 8th of September 1974 – The Three Broomsticks Pub_ **

The Three Broomsticks was bustling with activity as Antares and Xavier stepped into the brightly lit pub. The inn was warm, crowded, and a thin layer of smoke seemed to fill the entirety of the room. All of these things combined made the little pub all the more inviting, giving it a very homey and relaxed atmosphere.

"I'll get the drinks shall I?" offered Xavier as they found a table at the back of the room.

Antares shrugged non-committedly as he pulled out a wooden chair and sat down, his arms folded under him as he rested his head on the tabletop.

"ahh Xavier, I'd knew I'd see your handsome face around here sooner or later," said a pretty Green-eyed witch from behind the bar.

"Rosie," nodded a smirking Xavier, "How's business been?"

"Busy as usual. What'll it be then lad?" said Madam Rosmerta, owner, and proprietor of the Three Broomsticks.

"Two pints of your strongest firewhiskey" replied Xavier quietly, "and a couple of roast dinners as well if you don't mind?"

"School that rough already? You've only just got back" she commented idly as she bent down behind the wooden counter and pulled out a large glass bottle of amber liquid.

"Not exactly. Antares' had a bit of a rough week. So seeing as it's a Friday, I figured we'd get drunk enough to make him forget his troubles for a while" whispered Xavier, leaning towards here so that only she could hear.

"He does look rather down doesn't he," she said as she spotted Antares lounging figure at the back of the pub.

"You can't exactly blame him though. If I found out that I was to be married I wouldn't exactly be thrilled about it either"

"Cheers Rosie. Just put it on the tab would you?" nodded Xavier, picking up the two large tankards she had just placed down in front of him.

"Will do, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything else. The two of you are some of my most valuable customers, not to mention some of my favourites" said Rosmerta with a wink.

Xavier nodded at her as he turned around and made his way back over to their tables. Antares hadn't moved from his earlier position, so Xavier slammed the drinks down upon the wooden table loudly, arousing him from his brooding.

Antares only stared at him with one eyebrow raised, before grabbing the tankard closest to him and bringing it to his lips.

The pleasant and familiar taste of the Firewhiskey immediately hit him as he greedily gulped down the burning hot yet, refreshing cold, liquid, his eyes closing in contentment as he drained the entire contents in one go. Slamming his empty cup down in front of him, Antares burped loudly, grinning widely when Xavier looked at him

"Slow down Antares. No need to drown yourself so soon, we've got the entire night ahead of us to get drunk. Plus, I expect the others to be arriving any minute now"

Antares merely looked at his best friend as if he was missing the point as to why they were here in the first place. He wanted to drink until he forgot all the troubles that currently plagued his mind. The quickest way to do that was to drink as much as he could, as fast he could. He, shrugging his shoulders uncaringly, he picked up the other tankard on the table and proceeded to drink that also.

"Hey, that's my" – began Xavier, before giving up mid-sentence, Antares wasn't listening anyway, too busy downing the rest of his Firewhiskey.

'Serves him right,' thought Antares smugly as he once more slammed his empty tankard onto the wooden table, 'he shouldn't be such a killjoy. Maybe then I wouldn't have stolen his drink".

Taking his seat, Antares watched as his friend just shook his head from side to side in exasperation, before walking back up to the bar to order another round of drinks.

Antares sighed heavily to himself. His first week back at Hogwarts had been great, if somewhat trying and tiring. Seeing all of his friends after so long a break had been the highlight of his week. He had almost forgotten how much each and every one of them meant to him, and now that he was back in their presence he wondered how he had ever survived the summer holidays without their company. His late-night rendezvous with Sophia on their first night back had been as amazing as intercourse could get, but seeing as it was their last time together the experience almost had a bittersweet feeling surrounding it. His meeting with Maxine and Prefect duty with Lily had both been great times also. Everything else that had happened since then he would put into the 'somewhat manageable' Category, being neither too bad nor too great.

His DADA Class today, however, was an entirely different situation altogether. When he had put his hand up in order to go first against the Boggart, he genuinely had no idea what his greatest fear was. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he wished that he hadn't.

He had always been fearful of disappointing his family. Ever since he was a young boy his parents and grandparent's opinions had been very dear to his heart. Their approval meant the world to him, their disappointment heartbreaking beyond words. It was for this reason that he had reacted the way he had when the Boggart had appeared before him in the form of his parents. Deep down he knew that they would be proud of him no matter what he did. But there was always a small niggling in the back of his mind that said 'What if they weren't'. It was this question that had he always reverted back to, along with a hundred other questions of a similar nature.

Despite his embarrassing reaction to his Boggart, he was thankful for the encounter with the creature. To know what one's greatest fear above all else was useful information. He was just grateful that Graves had made them face the shapeshifter one-one-one. He couldn't imagine how fast his reputation would be destroyed had it been known that thing he feared above all else was his family's disappointment.

Xavier's' return several moments later saved him from the many thoughts that were running through his mind. Two large circular trays floated before him, one full of Firewhiskey and the other containing their roast dinners.

Xavier sat down in his seat, before waving his wand lazily in front of himself. The dinners floating off of the tray and landing in front of himself and Antares. He did the same thing for the Firewhiskey, a tankard each finding itself in front of either of them and the rest remaining on the tray between them.

"Thanks, Xav, I'm positively starving after those drinks" mumbled Antares as he picked up his fork and began to dig into his dinner of roast lamb and vegetables.

"You've done the same for me on more than one occasion Antares, it's only right I return the favour" Xavier merely stated, waving away the thanks.

It was true too, Antares had been there to help him cope with several different situations in his life. Situations that nobody else could know about. Situations that were too embarrassing to speak about.

For several minutes the two of them ate in silence, enjoying their dinner and Firewhiskey (which Antares was now sipping rather than sculling). It was only after they had both put down their knives and forks and pushed their plates to the side, that Xavier went to ask the question that had been on the tip of tongue since they had arrived. Antares, however, beat him to it.

"It was my family. My Boggart that is," confessed Antares quietly, "I know you've been dying to ask since we left DADA"

Understanding instantly flooded Xavier's features as his dearest friend revealed his deepest fear. Of course, it had been his family that had made him react in such a way.

"How ironic it is that the only thing that I fear above all else is the one thing that I love more dearly than anything on this earth" he muttered to himself, before taking a drink of his Firewhiskey.

"You've never done anything by halves Antares, even you know this. With everything that's expected of you, It's no wonder you fear their opinion of you. You've always been in control of your destiny, and now that they have chosen your betrothed, you feel as if you've lost some semblance of control. Them choosing your future wife doesn't change anything in the grand scheme of things. You still destined for great things, and they will support you no matter where your life may lead "replied Xavier slowly, trying not to upset his friend by saying the wrong thing. Antares had quite the temper at times, he'd seen it firsthand on more than one occasion.

Antares laughed darkly at that, lifting his cup to his lips once more and taking a longer swig than the previous. He said nothing more, so Xavier continued, hoping to pry from him the real reason he felt the need to be afraid of his family's opinion of him.

"Why is it that you really fear them, Ares. You know they'll support you no matter what you do with your life. If you are still annoyed at them about your betrothal, no doubt they thought that choosing for you would make it easier for you to focus on other, more important, things?" whispered Xavier, leaning forward in his seat so that the other occupants couldn't hear him.

"It's not that. I'm happy with the betrothal, at least, for the time being,"

Here he paused for several seconds, really taking the time to think about what was truly troubling him. What did he want to say? What did he truly feel deep down within himself? What was the true reason that he feared his family above all else? Lowering his Occlumency shields completely, he let all of his pent-up feelings come to the forefront of his mind.

"I want to do more with my life Xav. I want to be known as more than just another Dark Wizard from a Dark Family, who sat back and did nothing when it mattered the most. I feel a storm brewing Xav. I don't know how or why, but I feel it in the air. This Voldemort situation is beginning to become more of a problem. Every other day theirs mentions of unexplained deaths and disappearances. The Ministry may be blind to it, and perhaps the rest of wizarding Britain also, but I am not. When the time comes, I want to be fighting on what I feel to be the right side, even if it means going against everything that my family has stood for for the last two millennia." Antares proclaimed quietly, his words leaving his mouth before he even had time to think about what he was saying. He was speaking from the heart. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Xavier listened attentively as his friend finally revealed the true reason he had been acting strangely all day. Something had changed within his friend since the end of last year. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, and he didn't think even Antares himself knew about the changes that he had somehow gone through. But something was definitely different about his friend this year. Never before had he talked about such things. Of being a better Wizard. Of trying to distance himself from being associated as Dark. Of going against his own family's values and beliefs when it came to Blood superiority. Beliefs that up until today he had always strongly and vocally supported without doubt or reservation.

"Where is this coming from Antares? When did this happen? When did you have a change of heart? You're not the same as you used to be. Somethings different. The Antares I know would never speak of such things" asked Xavier, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I don't know, Xav," Antares admitted his broad shoulders hunched, his voice somewhat distant as he looked at anywhere but Xavier, "Somethings changed within me. I don't know when – or why – it happened, but it has. It all seems so meaningless now, Blood Purity that is. Whether your pureblood, half-blood or Mudblood, what does it matter? We're all capable of performing the great gift that is Magic, that should be enough for anyone."

Xavier was now very worried about his friend. Never had Antares so casually dismissed blood purity as if it was unimportant. He was just about to question him further, when he spotted Sophia, Caroline, Jasper and Tristan across the room. Not wanting them to be privy to their private conversations, he leaned in quickly and

"I'll stand with you, Ares. No matter the fight. No matter the enemy. You're my brother, and I would follow you to whatever end" swore Xavier quietly, hand reaching out to grasp Antares's own in a vice-like grip. They were brothers in all but blood, and he wouldn't change it for the world.

Antares only nodded slightly, but gratitude and relief were written all over his features. Antares shoulders relaxed somewhat at Xavier's declaration of fealty, he had. He believed him too. Xavier would follow him to the death without a second thought, and he would do the same. To know that his friend didn't think less of him because of his change of opinion was quite a relief. He didn't know what he would do without him.

"Feeling better Antares," asked Sophia as she and the others came into view, sitting herself down beside him with a grace few could master.

"A lot actually. A couple of Firewhiskeys and I'm good as gold," replied Antares with a grin, his mask slipping back into place and his Occlumency shields raising once more.

"I'm glad to hear it. It must have been something awful if your reaction was so strong" she replied, asking for more information without really asking.

"It was nothing," Antares said, waving his hand dismissively, "The Boggart just surprised me is all. Nothing a good drink can't fix. But enough about me, what will you guys be having to drink? My shout, so don't hold back".

Sophia made to say more but a pointed look from Xavier stopped her in her tracks. Obviously, something big had happened, something that Antares didn't want everyone to know. So instead of pushing the subject, she just nodded and gave her order.

"Red currant rum for me, and one of those roast dinners as well"

"Hmm, I think I'll have the same," said Caroline after a few moments of thought.

"Jasper, Tristan, you mind getting the orders. I mean I would, but truthfully I really can't be bothered getting up"' asked Antares, pulling out a full coin purse and handing it to Tristan

"Sure, It's no trouble, seeing as your paying" replied Tristan as he got to his feet, Jasper following suit, "What was it you were wanting Antares?"

"Firewhiskey. Lots and Lots of Firewhiskey. I want to forget, just for a little while at least."

 


End file.
